A Bad First Impression
by pinkestpuppy
Summary: What if Twilight wasn't Twilight? In this AU retelling of the Twilight series, Bella doesn't immediately forgive and forget Edward's hostile behavior when they first meet. With such a bad first impression, will Bella succumb to Edward's charms? How will her life turn out if she doesn't? Rated M for language and lemony goodness.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: A Bad First Impression**

Author's Foreword:

For this story, I am basically retelling the Twilight stories if Bella reacted to Edward's initial hostility differently. In my version of the stories Bella basically thinks Edward is a jerk. In the first few chapters, my story will mirror the first book but with some marked differences. After that, I'm thinking that it might flourish into something on its own entirely. I hope you enjoy and please be patient; this is going to be my first long story. I do not own Twilight or any of the characters.

Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Note: This is not a team Edward **or** a team Jacob kind of story. I like to think of it as a team Bella kind of story, you feel me? Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

I stepped off the plane and caught my dad's eye. He was there in his uniform looking anxious. He gave me a tentative smile as I carefully walked down the plane steps and approached him. Charlie was the police chief of the drizzly town of Forks, Washington, my new home for the next few years. My mom, Renee, and Charlie had divorced back when I was still in diapers and I was raised in warm and sunny Phoenix, Arizona by my mom, a ditzy yet doting mother.

I decided to leave the land of the sun and move in with my dad when my mom got remarried. Phil is a minor league baseball player who travels the country on a regular basis. My mom, not wanting to uproot my life, would always unhappily stay behind. I could see the strain it put on Renee every time Phil left, so I dutifully offered to move in with Charlie who was all too happy to have me back home with him. I used to spend every summer with Charlie until I was fourteen when I had finally had enough of the cold and dreary weather.

Even though I miss Phoenix, I really think spending more time with my dad will be good for the both of us. I've missed him an awful lot and he never got remarried. Heck, I don't even know if he dates. It seems when my mom left with me all those years ago, it left a pretty deep wound.

"Hey, Bells." Charlie called when he saw me.

"Dad!" I exclaimed as I bounded into his arms and gave him a big hug. He made some kind of gruff sound in response. He never was one for showing any kind of public displays of affection.

"How was your flight?" he asked as he took my carryon bag from me. We headed to the baggage claim and exchanged some small talk before falling into a companionable silence.

We drove the cruiser home in the light rain. I inwardly sighed because I knew that having a cop car around was bound to make traffic slow down; plus the added rain made for a very long drive home from the small airport into Forks proper.

"So, I know you were looking to get a car," Charlie started, breaking the silence. "I hope you don't mind, I sort of bought one for you."

"Oh?" I ventured apprehensively. It was true I had been trying to save for a car of my own. I didn't want to have to ride around in Charlie's cruiser at the break-neck speed of 25 mph for the rest of my time in Forks, but I didn't have much yet. It was probably enough to get me a truly crappy gem, but at least it would be a crappy gem I got to pick out for myself.

"Yeah, my old friend Billy was selling his truck. You remember Billy Black?"

"A little I guess."

"Yeah, well, he can't really walk anymore let alone drive, so he's selling his truck. It's a really solid truck and it still runs pretty good. I hope you'll like it." I hoped so too. Hey, at least it would be a free crappy car.

"Thanks, Dad, I really appreciate it."

As we pulled up to the old familiar house, my new (old) truck was sitting in the driveway. It was a 53' Chevy pick-up truck in faded red paint. It was old, beat up, and looked like it had been to hell and back; I loved it. It was the kind of bruiser that could get into a fender bender with a semi and come out the victor; it was absolutely perfect for a chronic klutz like me.

"Oh, dad, I love it! Thank you so much!" I gushed as I gave him another hearty hug. Charlie blushed and mumbled something that sounded like "You're welcome." I gave my new-to-me truck one last glance before heading into the house with my things.

...

My room had hardly changed since I was a kid. It was painted the same yellow color and the old rocking chair from my baby days still sat in the corner. There was a new desk along one wall with an ancient-looking PC sitting atop it. I prayed Charlie had upgraded from dial-up since the last time I had visited.

It was just about time for dinner when I finished unpacking and settling in. I headed down the creaky stairs to find Charlie sitting in the living room watching a basketball game.

"Want me to start some dinner?" I called to him from the kitchen.

"Uh, you don't have to go through the trouble, Bells; we could just order a pizza for tonight." I could understand the apprehension in his voice as I poked around the fridge and cabinets; Renee was a terrible cook.

"Don't be silly, I can cook. Who do you think fed mom all these years?" I replied as I spied some steaks in the back of the freezer. I could hear him chuckle from the other room.

After a successful dinner of marinated steaks, baked potatoes and a fresh green salad, I think I had my dad convinced of my cooking abilities. From the way he cleaned his plate, I could only assume he wasn't used to eating home cooked meals all that often. I offered to be designated dinner maker from then on before heading off for bed.

As I lay in bed trying to fall asleep, I had plenty of time to think about my first day at Forks High. I was sure I was going to stick out like a sore thumb as the new girl in a small town. A small ball of dread settled into the pit of my stomach. I've always hated being the center of attention, probably due to my crippling clumsiness. It would just figure if once all eyes were on me I would trip and fall on my face. Ugh…

...

After a light breakfast of cornflakes and orange juice, I headed out to my truck the next morning. The truck started with a deafening roar. I loved it. I made my way to the high school in the ever present rain. As I parked in the parking lot, I noticed my ancient truck didn't stand out like a rusty thumb when compared to all the other cars. In fact, the nicest car there, a shiny silver Volvo, seemed like it was the one out of place. I cut the engine and got out. As I made my way to the front office through the rain, I realized I didn't stand out as much as I feared. I was just one of the many dark coats hurrying along in the rain. Also, even though I came from sunny Arizona, I burn so easily that I didn't dare leaving the house without a healthy coating of sun block first, so I wasn't very tan. Hell, I was downright pale. Just as pale as every one of the faces I passed. It was kind of nice. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad.

I reached the front office where I was greeted by a receptionist who already knew my name. This was not a good sign, but she seemed nice enough. She gave me a copy of my schedule and a map on which she drew the best routes to take from each class. She informed me that I would need to have each of my teachers sign a slip and return it at the end of the day.

I made my way over to building 3 for my first class: English with Mr. Mason. After signing my office slip, he sent me to an empty seat without making me introduce myself, thankfully, though I unfortunately caught the attention of the whole class when I stumbled a little on the way to my seat. My cheeks burning, I looked over the reading list; pretty standard stuff for 11th grade English. I had actually read most of it already. I loved to read.

When the nasal buzz of the bell rang signaling the end of class, a guy with bad skin and black hair approached me.

"You're Isabella Swan, right?" he asked. He came across as the overly helpful chess club type.

"It's Bella," I corrected him with a small smile. Others filing out of the room turned to look when I answered.

"I'm Eric. How do you like it in Forks?"

"So far, so good." I shrugged. "I used to live here when I was little before my mom and I moved to Phoenix."

"Phoenix, huh? How come you're not all tan?" Ugh…

"I'm part albino, I guess." I said with a laugh. He gave me a weird look that said he did not share my particular sense of humor.

"So, uh, what class do you have next?"

I pulled out my schedule before answering. "I looks like government with Jefferson."

"Oh, that's in building 6. My next class is in 4. 6 is on the way, I can walk you there." Yep, definitely the helpful type.

I gave him a tentative smile. "Thanks."

Eric continued to pepper me with questions all along the way about Arizona and my life before Forks. I answered as cordially as I could considering I didn't know a thing about this guy and yet he seemed to know so much about me already. This town was too small for talk not to get around. I'm sure I'd encounter many Eric's before the day was over. The thought made me inwardly sigh as he left me at building six with a smile. I gave a small wave goodbye as I turned to enter the building.

...

The rest of my day continued in much the same fashion as English class. The teachers didn't make a big deal of my arrival (all except my Trigonometry teacher who I was sure I would have hated anyway) and the few people who had the courage to introduce themselves seemed very nice. I began to recognize the faces of those with whom I shared more than one class. Jessica, a petite girl with voluminous dark curls, was in two of my classes. She walked me to the cafeteria at lunch chattering away the entire time; she was kind of hard to keep up with so when she introduced me to the people at her lunch table, their names didn't really stick.

I took my seat next to a mousy brunette who introduced herself as Angela. She asked about my schedule and pointed out we had Biology together the next period and offered to walk with me. I gladly accepted. She seemed really nice and I immediately took a liking to her.

After people seemed satisfied questioning me about Arizona and how I liked it in Forks, the table's conversation turned to other topics I was not familiar with; local gossip, upcoming tests, and the like so, once again, I took to people watching. I scanned the many faces swirling around the noisy cafeteria when my eyes fell upon a table at the back corner of the large room. Its five occupants caused me to do a double take; they were easily the most beautiful people I had ever seen in my life. They didn't look anything alike, yet they were all so similar in their beauty; their pale porcelain skin, the purple patches beneath their eyes, and the almost eerie grace with which they moved. There were three boys, one big and muscular with dark curls, a tall blonde one and the youngest looking one with bronze colored hair. The two girls were opposites in looks; one a tall blonde who was the most gorgeous of the group and the other a petite dark haired girl with a pixie cut. They all sat with full trays on the table and didn't appear to be talking to each other at all.

"Who are they?" I blurted out and blushing a little when I realized I had clearly interrupted a conversation between Jessica and a girl whose name I thought was Lauren. Jessica, following my gaze, gave a huff.

"Oh, them." I could hear the derision in her voice. At that the bronze haired boy's gaze snapped to Jessica's and then to mine before quickly looking away, quicker than I could. My face blazed with embarrassment again as I looked away.

"Those are the Cullens. They're all the adopted children of Dr. Cullen and his wife. They moved here last year from Alaska. There's Emmet, Edward, and Alice Cullen and Jasper and Rosalie Hale. They're kind of together- Jasper and Alice, Emmet and Rosalie…" I could hear the shock and condemnation of the small town ringing through her voice.

"They are… really attractive." I managed. My gaze returned to their table. To my shock, the bronze haired one was staring at me, looking curious and a little frustrated. I tried not to make it look too obvious I was staring.

"Uh, yeah they are, especially Edward, the one with reddish brown hair… but don't waste your time on him. Apparently none of us Forks girls are good enough for him." She sniffed; a clear case of sour grapes. I wondered when he turned her down. I bit my lip to hide my smile and made a sideways glance over at the boy named Edward who was looking way again, but seemed to also have a hint of a smile on his perfect lips.

The bell rang then and the table of five beautiful specimens got up immediately with an unsettling grace. I got up with Angela and we headed off to Bio together. I handed my office slip to the instructor, Mr. Banner, and he directed me to the only empty seat in the room… right next to Edward Cullen. My heart skipped a beat when our eyes met. His expression was furious, murderous even. I was shocked. What had I done to him to earn a look like that? I hopelessly glanced around the room for an empty seat anywhere else but upon finding none, I resentfully began to shuffle down the aisle toward him. As I sat down beside him, I sensed his body go rigid. I chanced a quick glace his way and wished I hadn't. His eyes were coal black. He was shrunk away from me as much as the small black-topped table would allow.

 _What the eff is his problem?_ I wondered wildly. Did I somehow _offend_ his royal highness? I sniffed at my armpit as inconspicuously as I could. I didn't smell, hell, I took a shower that morning. _What the fuck? What an asshole._

I let my hair fall over my shoulder to block him from my view and I tried to focus on the lecture, but the iciness I felt rolling off of him in waves kept me distracted throughout the period. I stole sideways glances at him from time to time and saw that his jaw was set tight and his hands were balled into fists, his expression livid. I couldn't imagine what I had done to spark this kind of insane reaction from him. When the bell rang, Edward was out of his seat and out the door before I could even gather my thoughts.

"Whatever…" I said under my breath. As I gathered my things and placed them in my bag, a cute blonde approached me. I recognized him from my table at lunch.

"Isabella, right?" he asked in a pleasant voice.

"It's just Bella, actually. You're…"

"Mike Newton." He replied with a handsome smile. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Mike, right. Sorry, I'm not so great with names." I put on my back pack and we headed for the door together.

"That's okay; you've met an awful lot of new people today. Where are you headed to next?"

"Um… gym?" I was just about to reach for my little map when he said it was his next class too. We smiled at each other companionably as we made our way over to the gymnasium. Along the way he told me about how he was originally from California and he completely understands how it feels to be the new kid in a small town.

"So, what did you do to Cullen? I've never seen him act like that." He asked as we walked along a throng of students.

"So I'm not crazy, he really was acting weird? Jeez, I don't know, I didn't say a word to the guy."

"Crazy."

"I know. You'd think I ran over his cat or something."

Mike let out a chuckle.

"Yeah. He's always been a little off. They all are, the Cullens. They keep to themselves, you know?" I made a sound in agreement as we reached the gym. He lingered by the girl's locker room entrance. "If I had sat next to you, I'd have talked to you," He said, flashing that attractive smile again. "…Even if you ran over my cat." I gave a small laugh.

"Yeah? Well, you might change your tune after you see me in gym. I am horribly uncoordinated. Prepare to pretend you don't know me when I trip and fall on my face," I said with a grin.

"I wouldn't think of it. I'll catch your fall."

"My hero," I said with a cheesy swoon. I flashed him another smile before turning to enter the door. His warm smile in response made me think, despite that jerk Edward, maybe Forks wasn't that bad after all.

Luckily, I did not have to embarrass myself in front of my fellow classmates that day as the gym instructor, Coach Clapp, allowed me to sit out. But the unit they were currently in the middle of was volleyball. I would not be on short supply of embarrassing situations over the coming weeks.

...

With my office form completed, I headed over to the office after class to return it. I opened the door just as a gust of wind blew by whipping my hair around my face and swirling into the office. When the door finally shut behind me and my hair fell away from my eyes, I immediately was put on edge when I saw who else but Edward freakin' Cullen at the desk. I caught the last few words of what he was saying before he abruptly stopped and turned to give me another hostile glare. It sounded like he was trying to transfer to another biology class.

"Never mind," he said turning back to the receptionist with a voice as warm and smooth as honey. "I can see that it is impossible. Thank you for your help anyway." With that he turned and swiftly walked out the door without another sideways glace.

 _What the actual fuck!?_ I practically screamed in my mind. Who the hell was this guy? Why did he hate me so much? I literally hadn't said or done a thing to him and here he is trying to change classes because he hates me so much? WTF, for reals.

Doing my best to gather myself after another terrible encounter with Mr. Congeniality, I brought my signed form to the receptionist who accepted it with a smile.

 _ **She**_ _thinks I'm nice_. I thought to myself after I left. Hell, you know what? A lot of people thought I was downright pleasant today. _Fuck that guy,_ I thought as I got into my truck and made my way out of the parking lot.

* * *

Thanks so much for reading. Let me know what you think! More chapters to follow :)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

* * *

I had trouble sleeping that night. The wind whipped loudly outside my window and I couldn't shake the hateful glare I got from a perfect stranger. When I decided I would ask him what exactly had gotten his panties in a twist, I finally managed to fall asleep.

Charlie had been so happy to come home to a hot meal earlier that evening. I fried some chicken and made some rice and steamed veggies. He asked me how my first day was and if I had made any friends. I mentioned Jessica, Angela, and Mike. I purposefully left out any mention of a certain evil-eyed Cullen. Apparently he knew my new found friends' parents and told me all about them and some other local gossip. I tried my best to remain interested, but my heart just wasn't in it. I excused myself to write an email to my mom before bed. Writing to Renee was a major condition of my moving up to Washington. I was to write often and to leave absolutely nothing out of my boring, boring time in Forks.

When the old PC finally wheezed to life, I saw that I had a few emails from Renee already, each more frantic than the last. She seemed upset that I hadn't written to her yet and was ready to hop on a plane and come rescue me if I didn't email her 'right this minute.' Inwardly rolling my eyes, I told her not to worry so much and then told her all about my first day. I did tell her about what a jerk Edward had been hoping for some insight; she was a very perceptive person. I told her that Charlie had bought me a nice sturdy truck and that I had made a few friends already at school. I ended the email on a high note: with how cute Mike Newton was and how he had flirted a little with me.

...

My next day was a little easier than the one before in that I had no trouble finding my classes and my new-girl charm seemed to have worn off during the night; no more prying eyes in every classroom. Mike came to sit by me in English wearing an eager and delighted expression when he spotted me entering the room. I couldn't help but blush a little at the attention I was getting from such a cute guy. By the end of class I knew I kind of really liked him. Unfortunately, Eric seemed a little miffed when Mike walked me to my next class.

At lunch, we all sat together: Mike, Eric, Jessica, Angela, and some others whose names I was sure I knew. I could feel a nice friendly routine starting to take form. I hated myself a little when I did it, but I couldn't help glancing over to the table at the far corner of the cafeteria where the beautiful people had sat the day before. To my surprise, it was occupied by only four Cullens. I didn't see Edward anywhere.

 _Hmm, he must not be here today_ , I mentally shrugged.

When the bell rang, Angela, Mike and I walked over to Biology together. As I entered the room I half expected Edward to be there staring daggers at me, but to my relief our table was empty. Mike and Angela lingered by my table and chatted about an upcoming trip to La Push, the local Indian reservation, which Mike was planning, until the instructor signaled that class was about to start. I was glad to have the table to myself but I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that Edward wasn't present because of me for whatever reason. It would have been a crazy thought, this guy missing school because of me, a perfect stranger, but I obviously somehow offended him yesterday, though I was still confused how.

The school day ended with a predictable yet no less embarrassing volleyball incident involving a spiked ball and my face. I hurried out as fast I could out to my truck after changing. As I waiting to leave the parking lot, I spotted the Cullens and Hales getting in to the shiny Volvo I'd noticed the other day. Of course it would be theirs. I was so mesmerized by the beauty of their faces that I hadn't noticed their clothes. They were all dressed finely in obviously expensive outfits. It seemed Dr. Cullen and his wife was loaded. That kind of money would definitely account for their being ostracized in the sleepy town of Forks, though I didn't quite buy it. It seemed more like their separation from the rest of the student body was of their own choice.

I stopped at the grocery store on the way home to pick up a few things for dinner that night. While preheating the oven, I sat down to write a quick email to my mom about my day before staring on dinner. I had just popped the meatloaf into the oven when Charlie got home. He greeted me while hanging up his gun belt.

"What's for dinner?" he asked as he took off his work boots and made his way to the living room.

"Meatloaf, green beans and mashed potatoes," I called to him. I was laying out my homework on the table when I heard him turn on the game in the other room. I did my homework while cooking and called to Charlie when it was finished.

"Smells good, Bells," he said as he came in.

"Thanks," I said with a smile. We chatted about our day as we cleaned our plates; Charlie helped himself to seconds. The feeling in the little kitchen was comfortable; it was warm while it rained outside, there was good food and nice conversation. I was suddenly really grateful for the opportunity to come up and spend time with my dad.

He helped me clear the table and do the dishes when we were finished eating. He returned to the living room to catch the end of the game while I begrudgingly went upstairs to focus on my math homework. I could feel another routine in the making. Later, exhausted after a long day, I fell asleep quickly and fitfully.

...

The rest of the week went by pretty uneventfully. Edward had not returned to school and I was getting used to his pleasant absences. People had learned not to pass me the ball in gym, which suited me just fine. Conversation at lunch centered on the grand tip to the La Push Ocean Park that would take place in two weeks, weather permitting. Mike had invited me and I gladly accepted. Even though beaches should be hot and dry, I was excited at the idea of seeing him outside of school. He continued to get friendlier and flirtier by the day; I couldn't help but reciprocate.

The weekend came and went without much incident either. Charlie worked most of it and I was left alone in the house. I cleaned a little and did some homework. I chanced a visit to the library but was disappointed at how small and understocked it was. I would have to make a trip out to Olympia at some point to find a really good bookstore and I wondered idly at my truck's gas mileage.

...

By Monday, the rain had stopped but there was a nip in the air. People greeted me in the parking lot at school and even though I wasn't sure of all their names, I smiled and waved back to each of them. It felt like it would be a good day.

We had a pop quiz on Wuthering Heights in English. I totally rocked it as it was my favorite book, one that I read over and over again. Mike moaned that he totally bombed it. We stepped out of the classroom to find the air swirling with fluffy white snowflakes.

"Wow," Mike said. "It's snowing!"

"Arg…" I groaned, hugging my coat a little tighter. He looked surprised.

"What, you don't like snow?"

"No. That means it's too cold for rain," I whined. Mike laughed just before a big, sloppy snow ball splattered into the back of his head. I let out a shriek.

"We're under attack!" Mike shouted; good humor in his tone. He grabbed my hand and dragged me haphazardly through the crowd laughing. As he turned around the nearest corner of the building, he grabbed my waist and swung me against the cold stone wall. We chanced a peek around the corner. Eric and Tyler, a boy who also eats lunch with us, had a snow ball in each of their hands.

"I've got to get inside. When the cold, wet stuff starts to fly, I'm outta here!" I said with a smile. Mike looked down at me.

"I'll protect you." He said in a throaty voice. Our eyes met and I could feel the color rising in my cheeks. He still had his arms around my waist.

"My hero," I whispered. My heart began to race as he pulled me closer to him. He began to lean down and I could feel his warm breath on my face… then the bell rang. _Damn_.

"Yikes, we're late!" I jumped. I could see a faint blush in his cheeks as he straightened up.

"Yeah," he cleared his throat. "See you at lunch." Our hands dropped as we turned to go our separate ways.

...

All anyone could talk about that morning was the snow. Apparently it was the first snow of the season. _Oh joy._ I hated the snow. Sure it was drier than rain, until it melted in your socks. I kept a warry eye out as I walked to the cafeteria with Jessica for lunch. It seemed like mush balls were flying in every direction. Jessica thought it was hilarious and she was out of breath with laughter by the time we made it safely inside.

Mike caught up to us with a laugh on his lips and melted snow dripping from his spiked blonde hair. I blushed when our eyes met as I remembered our almost kiss earlier. He gave me a handsome smile. I had to avert my gaze or I was sure I would burst into flames and my eyes happened to fall on the table in the far corner. My internal blaze was immediately extinguished. There were five people sitting at the table.

 _Well shit_ , I thought, rolling my eyes. We got our food and sat at our usual table. I couldn't help but be preoccupied, worried about how Edward was going to react to me today. _I swear if he gives me that hateful glare again, I'll smack the look right off his face_ , I thought with a huff.

I glanced over at their table once more half expecting Edward to be giving me the evil eye, but he wasn't looking my way. Actually, the whole table was laughing. They looked like they were in a scene from a movie; they were enjoying the snow day just like everyone else. The girls were shrieking away from Emmet who was shaking out his wet hair. Jasper and Edward, their own hair dripping wet, laughed as they were sprayed with cold droplets of melted snow. Besides from the smiles on their faces, they looked different in a way I couldn't quite put my finger on. It bothered me a little in a spooky kind of way. What was it?

"Bella, what are you gawking at?" Jessica asked at my side.

 _Aw, crap, I was staring_ , I thought, embarrassed. At that moment, Edward's eyes flashed over to mine. I immediately dropped my gaze and turned to Jessica.

"What? Nothing," I said trying to sound innocent.

"OMG, Bella, Edward Cullen is staring right at you," she said with a jab of her elbow.

"He doesn't look angry does he?"

"Um, no, should he?"

"No. But last week in Biology he gave me the nastiest look and then after school he was trying to change Biology classes."

" _What_!?" she exclaimed with disdain, thankfully on my side. "What a creep! I knew something was off with those Cullens," she snicked her tongue and shook her head slowly from side to side. "He's still staring at you."

I looked up again. He was staring but he didn't look angry or malicious. He looked curious and unsatisfied in some way. Weird. I looked away.

"Stop staring at him," I said with a smile. "Or he'll give _you_ the death glare next." Jessica laughed. Mike interrupted us then—he was planning an epic snow ball battle in the parking lot after school and wanted us to join him. Jessica agreed saying it sounded fun. I on the other hand started to plan my escape route for after gym.

At the end of the lunch hour we opened the door to the cafeteria. Everyone but me groaned; it was raining, washing away all traces of the snow. As a (disappointed) Mike, Angela, and I made our way to Biology, I surprised myself for thinking for the first time ever: _I'm so glad it decided to rain!_

...

My table was still empty when we entered the room. I sat down as Mr. Banner began passing out microscopes and slides to each table. I didn't dare look up when the chair beside me moved and was suddenly occupied with one Mr. Edward Cullen.

"Hello," a quiet, musical voice said. I froze. Wide eyed, I slowly turned to face him and was again struck by his beauty. He looked as if he had just stepped out of a magazine ad. His hair was messy and wet from the rain, yet still impeccable, he was wearing a black v neck sweater over a pair of indigo jeans and his perfect face was friendly with a slight smile. "My name is Edward Cullen," he continued. "I'm sorry I didn't have the chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bella Swan." I could feel my mouth fall open and my eyebrows knit with confusion. Was this really the same person who had looked at me with such malice? How could he be so damn polite after how viciously he glared at me before?

"Ex _cuse_ me?" was all I could manage to say. I was becoming more and more incensed by the second. How dare he be so nice, so damn polite, after being so rude? His smile faltered a little. Before I could say anything else, Mr. Banner started class. Today we would be doing a lab, Mr. Banner explained, in which we would separate the slides he had given us into the phases of mitoses and label them accordingly.

"Ladies first, partner?" Edward asked. I looked over to see him smiling hopefully at me. Despite how heart-breakingly attractive he was when he smiled, all I could do was roll my eyes and slide the microscope over to me. His smile faded. I had done this lab before in Phoenix, so when I looked at the first slide, I recognized it immediately.

"Prophase," I said in a clipped tone, sliding the microscope over to Edward for a look. I wrote it down on a piece of paper while he looked at the slide. He had hardly glanced at it when he agreed on my assessment.

He snapped the next slide into the microscope and murmured, "Anaphase." He began to write it down in a lovely scrawl.

Keeping my voice indifferent, I asked, "May I?" He smirked and slid the microscope my way. A quick glance at it told me he was right. _Damn_. He had the next slide in his hand and I held mine out for it. As he placed it into my palm, his fingers brushed against my skin. They were ice cold. I flinched at the contact and my flesh immediately broke out into goosebumps.

"Sorry," he mumbled, quickly retreating from the touch. We continued in that fashion, back and forth like that, until we finished; earlier, it seemed, than everyone else. I was determined to be icy to Edward while we waited for the class to catch up with us. I didn't speak and I looked the other way, but I kept fixating internally on his stupid handsome face. It was so different from how it was last week. Why was that? A quick glance his way told me exactly what it was: his eyes. Last week they were deep empty obsidian. Today they were liquid gold. The difference was remarkable. That's weird. I almost commented on the change but then I remembered I hated the guy so I said nothing.

Mr. Banner came by and noticed we had finished early. "Mr. Cullen, couldn't you have let your partner help out on the lab?" I was immediately offended.

"Actually, Bella correctly identified three out of the five phases," Edward explained. Mr. Banner raised his eyebrows at me.

"Did the lab before, did you?"

"Yeah, you got me," I said with a forced smile.

"Were you in an advanced placement program in Phoenix?"

"Yes."

"Well, then," he said after a moment, "I guess it's good you two are partners." He then went off to check on the other tables.

"It's too bad about the snow, isn't it?" Edward asked still warm and friendly. I sighed.

"No."

"You don't like the cold." It wasn't a question.

"Nope," I answered in a clipped voice.

"But you moved here from Arizona," he asked. I got the feeling he was forcing small talk. I was in no mood to chat it up with this guy. I turned to him, face set in disapproval.

"What is your deal? Why are you talking about the weather with me when last week you looked like you were ready to tear the heart right out of my chest?" I tried to keep my voice hushed as I layed into him. "What on Earth did I do to you to deserve a reaction like that? I seriously hadn't said a word to you and then you go and try to change classes to get away from me? How did I offend you so thoroughly when we hadn't even exchanged more than a fleeting glance?" my tone was incredulous. He sat looking at me for a second before he cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry about before. I… was having a bad day," he said quietly.

"Well, I'm _sorry_ for your bad day, but I don't think that quite excuses the way you behaved to a perfect stranger. Don't start out with a polite 'Oh, hi, I'm Edward,' when the first words out of your mouth to me should have been 'Sorry I was such a dick,'" I said angrily.

"I'm sorry about that too. I shouldn't have glossed over my deplorable behavior. Please forgive my rudeness," he replied in that musical voice of his. For all intents and purposed he certainly _sounded_ sincere.

"Well… thank you… for that," I said, a little deflated. "But frankly, the way you acted really freaked me out. I'm not going to forget such a bad first impression." I hadn't meant to be so honest with him. I tried to shut off the part of my brain that started to feel bad about what I had said and worried whether or not I hurt his feelings. He stared at me, mouth slightly ajar.

"I… I don't know what else to say other than I am sorry," he said quietly. He was silent for the rest of the period though I could feel his eyes on my face from time to time while my cheeks burned hotly.

When the bell rang, Edward was the first out of the room again moving swiftly and gracefully. I looked after him until Mike approached me.

"That was brutal," he groaned. "They all looked the same to me. Lucky you had Cullen for a partner," he said with a smile. _Ugh, what is with the men in this town?_

"I did just fine, thank you very much. It just so happens I used to be in AP Bio back in Phoenix."

"Oh..." Mike blushed. "Well, at least he seemed friendly enough today," he commented as we put on our coats and headed for the door.

"Yeah, I guess. But I still don't like that guy."

"What did he say?"

"He said he was having a bad day last week and he was sorry about the way he acted, but there's something about him that's a little… off." Mike shared my look of concern but by the time we reached the gym he was chattering away about more pleasant things. Mike was on my team that day in gym and chivalrously covered my position as well as his own, so I didn't have to worry too much about injuring myself or the others around me. It seemed I really could rely on Mike to be my own personal hero.

...

As I left the parking lot at the end of the day, I noticed Edward standing beside his Volvo, staring at me again. I was so distracted I almost took out a Toyota Camry. As I chanced one more glance back at him, it looked like he was laughing.

"Dick," I said under my breath as I made my way home.

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Thanks for reading my second chapter and a very big thanks to those who left comments on my first chapter, I really appreciate them. Keep an eye out for the next chapter! Thanks again for reading and please let me know what you think so far! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note** : Before I sat down to write this chapter, I had to really think about where I wanted my story to go. In the first Twilight book, the third chapter "Phenomenon" involves the crash in which Edward saves Bella's life and tips her off to his supernatural nature. However, in my story, I wasn't sure if I wanted to follow the book so closely. I knew that how the accident played out would set the tone for the whole story, so I sat down and really thought about how I would do it before continuing.

To my great pleasure, instead of just deciding how to write this chapter alone, I outlined the whole story to the very end. I'm very excited about where this story is going to go and I hope you all will love it as much as I do! It's looking like it is going to be pretty long and I just hope I can stick with it through the end.

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I always appreciate your comments! :D

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I knew something was off as soon as I opened my eyes the next morning. The light coming through the window was different. It was gray and green like it always was, but it was clear out. The fog was gone. I jumped out of bed excited at the prospect of a dry, rain-free day, but when I got to the window, my heart sank.

"Fuuuuuck..." I groaned. A fine layer of snow covered everything; the lawn, my truck, the trees. The rain had frozen overnight into a deadly ice slick the length of the driveway. Today was going to be a veritable minefield of practically guaranteed slips and falls.

I got ready for school grumbling the entire time and then headed down stairs for a quick breakfast of cereal and orange juice. Charlie had already left for the day. I swear it was like I lived alone. When I very carefully made my way out to the truck I noticed that before he had left for work that morning Charlie had put chains on my truck's tires. My throat felt tight. I wasn't used to feeling taken care of and Charlie's unspoken concern caught me by surprise. I said a silent thank you to him before heading out for school.

I had just parked and was right near the back corner of the truck when the strangest high pitched whine peeled through the air. It was becoming louder and louder. Startled, everyone's heads in the parking lot snapped to attention. Many things happened at once. As my gaze swept toward the source of the noise, I noticed Edward four cars down, expression alert. Then my eyes stopped on the dark blue van skidding and spinning, tires locked, heading right for my truck with me standing in its way. But just before I heard the shattering crunch of the van hitting the truck, I was struck hard in the opposite direction I was expecting. My head hit the icy asphalt with a hard crack and I momentarily saw stars. I tried to right myself, but something cold and hard was pinning me to the ground. I tried to blink my vision clear and noticed the van was still skittering in my direction. A low grunt made me aware that I was not alone on the ground. A bronze-haired someone was between me and the oncoming van which then collided with their shoulder and came to a shuddering halt. Then, before my vision could completely clear, the mystery person was gone. Just like that; literally gone in the blink of an eye.

It was absolutely silent for a beat and then the screaming started. My vision returned but from my position on the ground all I could see was the van and truck. I heard pounding feet heading my way and people began to scream my name. I slowly sat up and tenderly touched the sore spot on the back of my head. Wincing, I shouted in a hoarse voice that I was alright.

"Get Tyler out of the van!" someone else shouted. There was a flurry of activity around me and all I could do was wait trapped between the two vehicles. While I waited, I couldn't get my mind around how I wasn't currently squished. Someone who looked an awful lot like a blurry Edward Cullen, had appeared out of thin air, stopped the van in its tracks and then vanished all in the span of a few seconds. It wasn't possible. It wasn't humanly possible. How could Edward have zipped over to me from four cars down? Hell, how could he stop the van with his body and then zip away in an instant? It just wasn't possible. As I waited for help, I noticed the deep shoulder–sized dent in the side of the van where it had hit the person who had saved me. My mind was reeling. It couldn't be real. I must have hit my head a lot harder than I thought.

It took six EMTs and two teachers to shift the van far enough away to get the stretcher in. I told them I hit my head on the asphalt when they asked if I had been hurt. They put me in a neck brace and strapped me to the stretcher. I gave a brave wave and a small smile to the sober, watchful faces as they carried me from between the cars. Charlie pulled up then in his cruiser in a panic.

"Bella! Bella are you alright?" he shouted as he came to my side.

"Dad! Hey!" I felt like crying seeing him in such a state. I reached for his hand and he took it. While he began peppering the EMTs with questions, I noticed Edward and his family in the sea of worried faces. Their expressions ranged from disapproval to fury, Edward excluded, whose face seemed calm and expressionless. It was too weird, too strange. My mind couldn't think of a logical explanation for what I had seen… what I _thought_ I had seen, I amended _. I hit my head; I must have imagined_ it I told myself over and over on the ride to the hospital, Charlie leading the way in the police cruiser.

They wheeled me in and set me up in a room in the ER. As a nurse was busying herself with taking my blood pressure and temperature, Tyler Crowley, the owner of the blue van, was carted into the space next to mine. He looked terrible; blood stained bandages were wrapped around his head. He was conscious though and noticed me in the bed next to his.

"Bella, I'm so sorry!" he said through the busy medical attendants that surrounded him.

"Tyler, I'm fine, I'm fine. You… you look terrible, are you okay?" I was getting a little woozy looking at him. I was never good around blood. A nurse began unraveling his bandages, revealing a number of shallow cuts on his forehead.

"I thought I killed you! I was going too fast and I hit the ice wrong…" he rambled.

"I'm fine. I'm okay. Don't worry about me." I called to him. He was thankfully blocked from my view by the nurse.

"How did you not get squished?" he called back.

"I don't know. I think I slipped on some ice and you missed me when I fell." I tried to sound convincing to both Tyler and to myself.

"Oh. Thank God. Thank God you're okay," he said with relief. "I'm so, so sorry…" he moaned.

They wheeled me away then to x-ray my head. When they brought me back, they told me I had to wait for the doctor to come speak with me. Tyler started back up with his constant apologies and promises to make it up to me. No matter how many times I told him I was alright, he continued to torment himself. I finally had to close my eyes to feign sleep hoping he'd notice and be quiet.

"Is she sleeping?" a musical voice nearby asked. My eyes snapped open. Edward Cullen stood at the end of my bed with a smile on his face next to a nurse who was closing the curtain between Tyler and me. She walked away when his question seemed to be answered. My look of initial confusion at his presence turned into a healthy glare.

"What are _you_ doing here?" I asked.

"I just came to see if you were alright, I heard you hit your head pretty hard." His voice was like an angel sighing.

"Yeah, but what are you doing _here_?" I asked gesturing to the room.

"Oh, well, half the school is out in the waiting room worried sick about you guys," he said, peeking around the curtain at Tyler. "My dad's a doctor here, too, so I have an all access pass to the behind the scenes action," he continued, turning back to me.

"Oh, yeah, someone said your dad was a doctor," I said before I could remember I didn't like him. He was just so damn handsome; it was hard to keep my guard up. He smiled when I spoke and it felt like my heart squeezed in my chest. I cleared my throat hoping to clear my head.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked with another smile. I struggled to find my voice.

"I… it's nothing," I mumbled. He said nothing, but stood there with an expectant look on his face. "I just," I continued. "It's totally crazy, but I think I saw something… some _one_ stop the van from hitting me," my face flushed. I sounded nuts even to me.

"You hit your head pretty hard, didn't you? Maybe you were just seeing things," he said in a low tone.

"That's what I keep trying to tell myself. It just feels wrong, though. I was sure I saw…"

"What?"

Feeling foolish, I let out a small, "You." He gave a derisive laugh.

"Me? Don't be silly, Bella, how could I do something like that?" he said with a hard look in his eyes.

"I know, it-" Just then a doctor rounded the corner and my mouth fell open. He was young, blonde and beautiful. He was pale and tired looking with dark patches beneath his eyes. I knew right away this was Dr. Cullen.

"Hello, Miss Swan," he said in a lovely voice. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright, I guess," I replied in awe. He snapped my radiograph into a light board to examine.

"Your x-rays looked good, so that's good. Is your head tender?" He asked as he probed the back of my skull.

"A bit," I winced. I certainly had worse before.

"Well, I don't think it's a concussion, but I want you to take it easy today, alright? Your dad's in the waiting room."

"Okay," I said as I swung my legs over the side of the bed. I went to hop off when Edward was there suddenly offering his hand to help me out of bed.

"I'm fine, thanks," I sniffed. He just shrugged and smiled at me as I made my way out of the room.

"It's this way," Edward said from right behind me making me jump a little at his closeness. I hadn't been aware he had followed me; he moved like a frickin' ghost… and he was fast… I mentally shook away the idea that he had somehow been with me during the crash for the umpteenth time.

"God, don't do that!" I gasped. "You scared the crap out of me. Jeez." I turned to glare at him. He laughed and I almost swooned; it was a beautiful sound.

"Sorry," he replied as I approached the door to the waiting room. When I opened the door I noticed him turn and saunter back the way we had come. Charlie was there in the waiting room along with more than a dozen other anxious looking faces.

"Bells!" Charlie rushed over to my side. Other people began to rise from their seats. I saw Mike, Angela, Jessica, and Eric among the crowd.

"I'm okay, I'm okay. No concussion," I told the room. "Dr. Cullen said I should take it easy for the rest of the day though."

"Okay, let's go," Charlie said, putting an arm around my back. I gave a wave to the folks in the waiting room before Charlie and I walked out and headed to the police cruiser.

When we made it home, Charlie mentioned I ought to give Renee a call. She was in hysterics, of course, and said she wanted me to come home right away. I kept myself from mentioning that if I went home, I'd be alone as she was currently in Florida with Phil, and after telling her I was fine half a dozen times I finally calmed her down. I decided to go to bed early that night to escape Charlie's worried gaze.

That night was the first night I dreamed of Edward.

In my dream, Edward stood glowing in the surrounding darkness. The closer I moved toward him, the farther he drifted away. I awoke late in the night unable to shake the eerie, creepy feeling the dream had given me, suddenly uncomfortable in the darkness of my room. I turned on the lamp on my bed side table and struggled to fall back to sleep.

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Again, thanks so much for reading! The next chapter is written; it just has to be typed up and will be posted soon! As always, please let me know what you think. I always appreciate any feedback you can give. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note** : Here is where my story starts to veer off a little from the book. You will see why and I hope you stay with me. The payoff will be so great, I promise! Thanks for reading! :)

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The week following the accident was like my first day all over again. I was on everyone's radar and people kept stopping me to ask how I was doing. Tyler was worse though. He began following me around determined to make amends to me somehow. I tried my best to convince him I wanted nothing more than to put the whole thing behind us, but he was relentless. Edward's behavior was different too. He was apparently past giving me the evil eye and had decided not to look at me whatsoever. His behavior baffled me. First he glares at with pure hatred, then he tries to be nice and he seemed pretty friendly at the hospital, and now he acts as though I didn't even exist. He was a walking enigma. _Was it all guys I didn't understand or just this one,_ I wondered. And in the back of my mind, the whole thing with the car crash still had me confused and a little bothered. What had I really seen? _Had_ I seen anything? Is Edward's change in behavior connected at all to it?

Mike and I got closer as the weeks went by. We had exchanged phone numbers and we chatted outside of school from time to time. The more I got to know him, the more I liked him. He was so easy to read; simple in his actions and intentions. He was so kind and always making me laugh. With the snow gone, Mike was still hopeful the trip to La Push was going to happen soon. Jessica reminded me of another looming event one day in March: the girls' choice dance. She asked me who I was planning on taking in Spanish class.

"Oh, I don't know…" I told her hesitantly. "I don't think I'm cut out for dances. You've literally seen me trip while standing completely still, right?"

"Oh, come on, Bella! It would be so fun! All of us can go together and we'll go shopping for dresses and we can do each other's hair! C'mon!" She begged. She painted such a girly picture it was kind of hard to resist. Being away from Renee and my girlfriends back home made me a little estrogen deprived and in great need of a girl's night out.

"Hmmm… maybe." I smiled as I pictured Mike and I dressed in our finest among our friends.

On the way to lunch, Jessica told me animatedly about how Joseph Spillman, a tall brunette who had Spanish with us and also sat at our lunch table, had accepted her dance proposal. She chattered away with him during lunch with a lovely blush on her apple cheeks. They were too adorable. Mike seemed unusually quiet during the lunch break. He was still quiet as we walked to class together and didn't speak until I took my seat.

"So…" Mike said, making a sideways glance at Edward who was already there when we arrived. He cleared his throat. "So, the uh, dance is coming up," he said, a bright blush blooming across his face.

"Yeah…" I replied with a smile.

"Well," he cleared his throat again. "I was wondering if you were thinking of asking me." I saw Edward shift his body toward us in the corner of my eye, eavesdropping.

"Are you sure you want to go with me?" I asked him. "I'm not much of a dance partner. I mean, you've seen me in gym," I said with a laugh. I heard Edward snort. I gave him a sidelong glance before rolling my eyes and turning back to Mike.

"My hero duties could extend to include school dances," he said with a handsome grin and running his fingers through his blonde hair.

"Well, as long as I've got my personal hero to accompany me, I guess it would be alright." I returned his smile. Mike exhaled heavily.

"Alright. Okay. Great," he said, relieved and excited. He shoved off the table and walked back to his seat, looking back at me once. I turned back to take my things out of my bag and noticed Edward was still staring at me. I expected him to turn away from me but he didn't flinch. He just continued to look into my eyes with a steady probing gaze. He looked curious with that familiar edge of frustration.

" _What?_ " I demanded.

"Mr. Cullen?" Mr. Banner asked. Apparently he had started lecture and we hadn't noticed.

"The Krebs Cycle," Edward replied and reluctantly turned toward the instructor. Correction: _I_ hadn't noticed the lecture had started. I tried very hard to concentrate during class but failed to do so. He was just so infuriating. I couldn't read him. He doesn't speak to me or look at me in weeks and then out of the blue he gives me that analyzing stare. He was being really frustrating. I wish he'd just leave me alone already. When the bell rang, he didn't immediately leave like always. Instead he lingered. I didn't wait for him. I began to hastily pack my things and quickly got up.

"Bella," he said in his warm, musical voice. I turned and glared at him.

"What? For God's sake, _what!?_ "

"You left your pen," he said with a smirk. My guard immediately dropped.

"Oh," my cheeks burned hot. "Thanks," I mumbled and grabbed my pen.

As I turned to go, I heard him say in that beautiful voice of his, "You're welcome."

...

Gym was brutal, as always. We had moved on to basketball. My team never passed me the ball which was good, but I tripped an awful lot and sometimes I took people with me. I was even worse today because my mind was swirling with thoughts. I was excited about the upcoming dance, about going with my friends and having Mike as a date. I was baffled by Edward and his seemingly erratic reactions to me. I couldn't shake the feeling that it was somehow connected to the day I was almost killed in the crash. I was glad when the period was over and I could finally go home.

I made enchiladas for dinner, something that was a long process and would keep me busy. Jessica called to ask about the dance and if I had decided to go or not. I told her that I had and that Mike and I were going together. After much squealing and excitement from the other end of the line, Jessica told me that Angela had asked Eric and that Lauren had asked Tyler. Before hanging up, she said we would have to get together soon to go dress shopping. The only decent place, she said, was in Port Angeles, a small tourist town about an hour's drive from Forks. As I made dinner, my thoughts drifted easily away from Edward and toward the shopping trip. When Charlie got home and sat down for dinner, I told him about the upcoming dance.

"That's right, I heard about the dance. Ladies' choice, right?" Only in a small town would a father know all about some piddly high school dance. "So, you ask anyone?" he continued.

"Uh, yeah, kind of," I replied blushing a little.

"Anyone I know of? Do I need to shoot anyone?" He joked, smiling over his plate of enchiladas and Spanish rice.

"No shooting necessary," I said, embarrassed. "It's, uh, Mike."

"Mike Newton? Good kid," he said. "He know you can't dance?" he asked with a laugh.

" _Dad!_ " I whined. After a beat, I surrendered with a reluctant, "Yes…" We both laughed.

...

The next morning as I got out of my truck I accidentally dropped my keys in a puddle. As I bent down to pick them up, a pale hand shot out and snatched them before I could. I abruptly straightened up. Edward was there casually leaning against my truck dangling my keys.

"Jeez, you scared the crap outta me!" I gasped. I went to grab the keys from him, but he pulled his hand away and then dropped them into my palm.

"Sorry," he said with a smile. I tried my best not to be dazzled by him. His eyes were a light golden honey again, his hair perfectly tousled. I scowled.

"What do you want?" I demanded. "Why aren't you pretending I don't exist like you have been for the last few weeks?"

"I'm tired of keeping my distance," he said nonchalantly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that even though I really shouldn't, I want to be your friend," he said looking up at me through his long lashes. _Huh?_

"Oh thanks, now that's _all_ cleared up," I said becoming irritated by the second.

"Well, it would be more… _prudent_ if I was not your friend," he explained. "But I'm tired of trying to stay away from you, Bella," his melodious voice smoldered. His eyes were gloriously intense.

"You are the most irritating… the most confusing…" I tried to find a word that was accurate enough to relay how infuriating I thought he was. He hates me; he's friendly; he's cold; he wants to be my friend. "Jerk… ass…" I sputtered.

"You really should stay away from me though," he cut me off.

Before I could even start to say that I had absolutely _no_ intention of _ever_ being his friend, he promptly turned on his heel and walked swiftly toward the school.

"See you in class!" he called over his shoulder, raising a hand in farewell. _Gah!_ He was driving me insane on purpose, I concluded. _What an asshole_.

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Thanks again for reading! As always, please leave a comment and let me know what you think! I always love to hear from you guys! :)


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 **Author's note:** I really want to thank you guys for your feedback on my last chapter. I always appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. I am having such a fun time writing this story! Hopefully the following chapter will come out soon. :) Enjoy!

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The rest of my morning went by without any problems, though my little chat with Edward in the parking lot made me tardy for English. At lunch, Mike made an announcement that the trip to La Push was finally on for this Saturday. There was going to be a short break in the rain that afternoon, though the temperature wasn't supposed to get much higher than the high forties, if we were lucky. Nevertheless, the whole table seemed excited.

I was happily chatting away with Angela when Jessica elbowed me in the side.

"Bella, Edward Cullen is staring at you again." I followed her gaze and saw him sitting at a table by himself. He was indeed looking right at me. "I wonder why he's sitting alone today." Jessica looked from me to Edward and back again, curiosity burning in her eyes. Edward then raised a hand and motioned with his index finger for me to join him. Wide-eyed, I exchanged a look of disbelief with Jessica.

"What does he want?" she asked.

"I have _no_ idea. That guy is so strange." I said turning my back to him.

"What are you doing? You should go over there and see what he wants!" She said, playfully shoving me.

"No way! Why don't _you_ go over there?" I laughed.

"You know, I saw the two of them talking this morning," Lauren said in a low conspiratory tone to Jessica from Jessica's other side.

"O. M. G. Really?" Jessica turned back to me, excited. She was about to say more when suddenly something made her mouth snap shut. Edward had gotten up and was moving gracefully toward our table.

"Bella," he said when he arrived by my side. He had the whole table's attention. He bent down to speak closer to my ear before continuing. "I was just wondering if you might take notes for me in Biology. It looks as though I won't be able to make it to class," he purred into my ear. I could feel his cool breath tickle the hairs on my neck. I had to suppress a shiver that threated to rip through my body. I had to clear my throat before I could answer. I couldn't believe how seductive he could sound without saying anything sexy at all.

"Uh… yeah, sure," I said in an even tone, not looking at him.

"Thank you," he replied before swiftly turning and walking out of the cafeteria. It took a minute before the table returned to conversation as usual, as though we were all under Edward's spell.

"Whoa…" was all Jessica could say.

...

True to his word, when Mike, Angela, and I entered Biology after lunch Edward wasn't there. We settled quickly in our seats as Mr. Banner bustled into the room juggling a few cardboard boxes in his arms. He piled them onto Mike's table and asked him to hand them out.

"Okay, guys. I want you to take one piece from each box," he instructed as he donned a pair of latex gloves. "The first should be an indicator card," he held one up and showed the class. "The second is a four-pronged applicator," he continued now showcasing something that looked like a nearly toothless hair-pick. "And the third is a sterile micro-lancet," he finished by splitting open a small piece of blue plastic revealing a tiny barb. My stomach lurched.

 _Oh no_ , I inwardly groaned, my hands going cold and clammy.

"I'll be going around with a dropper of water to prepare your cards, so please don't start until I get to you," Mr. Banner continued. He returned to Mike's table and placed a drop of water on each of the four squares on Mike's white indicator card. "Then I want you to carefully prick your finger with the lancet…" he grabbed Mike's hand and quickly jabbed the lancet into the tip of his finger. Mike let out a small hiss. _Oh God._ Mr. Banner then pressed Mike's pricked finger to each of the squares on the card while he explained what he was doing. My forehead broke out in a cold sweat and I swallowed hard. Mr. Banner held up the blood-stained card for the class to see. I clamped my eyes shut.

"The Red Cross is having a blood drive in Port Angeles this weekend, so I thought it would be a good idea to learn our blood types!" he cheerfully exclaimed, clearly pleased with his own cleverness. _Jackass_ , I thought ruefully.

I noticed the room was starting to spin as Mr. Banner went around applying water drops to the cards. I laid my head down on the cool surface of the table. I tried to concentrate on my breathing and not getting sick in front of everyone when Mr. Banner arrived at my table.

"Bella, are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

"I already know my blood type, Mr. Banner," I squeaked, head still plastered to the table.

"Are you feeling faint?"

"Yes," I managed through deep, even breaths.

"Can someone please take Bella to the nurse?" he called out to the class.

"Bella?" I heard Mike respond, concern mirrored in his tone. "I'll take her, Mr. Banner." _My hero to the rescue_. "Can you walk?" he asked as he approached me.

"Yes. Please just get me out of here," my voice wavered, pleading. Mike did not hesitate. He put his arm snuggly around my waist and slung my arm over his shoulders. I leaned heavily against him, my face settling in the nape of his neck as we made our way out of the classroom. I breathed in his clean, warm scent. It was a comfort to be so close to his inviting body as the world swayed sickeningly around me.

When we exited the building the cold, damp air felt amazing on my clammy cheeks.

"Let's sit for a minute, okay?" My legs felt like Jell-O. Mike helped me to sit on the edge of the sidewalk. I let out a gust of air. I was still so dizzy.

"Wow, Bella, you look terrible," Mike said nervously as he settled down beside me.

"Gee thanks," I muttered. "I'll be okay; I just need to sit for a bit." I slumped over onto my side and put my cheek on the freezing, damp sidewalk. It felt so nice that I tried not to think about how gross it was that I had my face on the filthy cement of the sidewalk.

"Bella?" A new voice called in the distance. _Oh God, please let me just have imagined that horribly familiar voice_. "What's wrong—is she hurt?" the voice said again, closer. I didn't imagine it. _Ugh, could things get any worse?_

Mike seemed stressed. "I think she fainted. She got sick in class. I was taking her to the nurse," he explained.

"Bella," Edward's voice was right beside me on the ground. "Can you hear me?"

"No. Go away," I groaned sourly. He chuckled.

"I can take her from here," I heard him say to Mike. My eyes flew open.

"What? No," I protested as I slowly got up into a sitting position.

"I've got her, it's okay," Mike started, but just then a pale Lee Stephens staggered out of building four. He was in Biology with us and he looked on the verge of blacking out himself. "Shit," I heard Mike mutter under his breath as he leapt up and ran over to Lee, putting an arm around him. "I'll take Lee, you bring Bella," he grunted under Lee's weight. The two started off toward the nurse's office. Edward made to pick me up.

"Hey, hey, Grabby!" I shrank away from his reach. "I'm fine!" Edward eyed me skeptically.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the nurse? You still look a little peaked," he said.

"Just let me sit a while, I'll be alright," I said and closed my eyes against the fading vertigo.

"Okay," he agreed and settled down on the sidewalk beside me. I eyed him suspiciously. "We'll just sit till you feel better, then I'll be on my way," he said in defense of my stare, hands up. I relaxed a little and focused on my breathing some more.

"So, you faint at the sight of blood," Edward said, amused, breaking the silence. I opened my eyes and gave him a sour look. "And not even your own blood," he teased. He had his feet crossed and extended out in front of him, leaning back on his hands, relaxed. He was a vision in a leather bomber jacket, white tee, dark jeans, and black boots.

"I'm glad you find amusement in my misery," I said resentfully. He laughed. I inwardly sighed with pleasure at the sound. "It's not the sight of blood," I continued when he fell silent. "It's the smell."

"The smell? People can't smell blood," he contradicted.

"Well, I can. It's what makes me sick. It smells like rust… and salt." I blanched. He was staring at me with an unfathomable expression. " _What?_ " I demanded.

"It's nothing."

"You always do that," I sniped.

"Do what?"

"Stare at me like that, like you're trying to decipher some deeper meaning out of what I say. It's so strange."

"I'm sorry," was all he said, smiling a little.

"Where did you come from, anyway? I thought you were leaving or something."

"I was just ditching my last few classes," he said nonchalantly. "It's healthy to ditch every now and then, wouldn't you agree?"

"I can't argue with you there. I certainly should have ditched today," I sighed, pulling a blade of grass that was poking out from a crack in the sidewalk. A companionable silence settled between us. It was quiet on campus with just the sound of the last of the morning's rain dripping from the trees around us. The misty air seemed heavy with it.

Edward sighed contentedly. "This is nice," he commented. I looked over at him. He was looking at me with a lovely smile on his face. I was about to reciprocate with a smile of my own when I suddenly remembered the bizarre conversation we shared earlier that morning.

"Why are you so determined to be my friend?" I asked breaking the comfortable mood, my expression guarded.

"Well, I really shouldn't be but…" he paused, and then the rest of the words followed in a rush. "I decided as long as I was going to hell anyway, I might as well do it thoroughly." His words rattled around in my brain and it came up empty.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I know and I'm sorry. I always say too much when I'm talking to you, but I just got tired of trying to stay away from you. So, I'm giving up trying to be good. I'm going to do what I want and just let the chips fall where they may." His smile turned cynical as he spoke and his eyes took on a hard edge.

"You're so damn cryptic, you know that? It's infuriating."

"I feel the same way about you," he smiled playfully again, all traced of cynicism gone.

"Me? How am I cryptic?" I demanded, still baffled by his every comment.

"I just mean that I am usually pretty good at reading most people. Most people except you, that is,"  
he replied, eyes alight. The way he was looking at me—looking into me—made me lose my train of thought. I had to look away and take a breath.

"So, you said you shouldn't be my friend. Why's that?" I asked after a moment.

"I'm not good for you, Bella," he said in a low tone, dropping his gaze.

"How so?" I asked skeptically. I suddenly remembered the accident and the blur that I was somehow sure was Edward; how he had saved my life; how he must have been impossibly strong and fast. I had to restrain a shiver.

"Let's leave it at that. It doesn't matter anyway; it's too late, I'm all in." There he goes again with the mysterious comments again.

"Why are you so determined to be my friend?" I asked again. "We don't even know each other. I could be totally shallow or I could torture small animals in my free time or something. You don't know." He laughed and raised an eyebrow at me. "Well, you don't!" I smiled.

"You're right. We don't know each other very well," he conceded. "So, tell me about yourself." He sat up and angled himself toward me. I was wary. How much did I want to tell this peculiar guy who might or might not have super powers? Did I want to tell him anything at all? Did I want to be his friend? He was still looking at me through his thick lashes, waiting for me to respond. "Please," he breathed, leaning a little closer to me when I still hadn't spoken, his ochre eyes scorching.

I blinked, my mind going blank. Holy crap, how did he _do_ that?

"Er… what did you want to know?" I asked, dazed.

"Why don't you start with why you moved to Forks? I know you grew up in Arizona. Why did you move?"

I shrugged. "My mom got remarried." When Edward didn't say anything, I continued. "My mom Renee and my dad Charlie got married when they were pretty young and they split when Renee realized she wanted more than a small town life. So, she took me to Phoenix and she raised me alone. I came up every summer to visit Charlie until I was fourteen, but it was mostly just my mom and me."

"When did she get remarried?" he asked when I didn't continue.

"Last September."

"Why didn't you stay with them?"

"Well, Phil travels a lot. He plays baseball for a living," I smiled.

"Have I heard of him?" Edward asked, returning my smile.

"Probably not. He doesn't play well; strictly minor league. He has to travel for away games and I hated seeing what it did to my mom when she would stay behind with me. So, I decided to move in with Charlie. It's really what was best for everyone," I said keeping my tone even. "Renee gets to spend her honeymoon years with her husband and I get to spend some quality time with Charlie. I hadn't realized how much I missed him till I moved back." I looked down at the ground. I couldn't believe I was telling him so much.

"I can understand that," he replied amiably.

"So, what about your family?" I asked looking at him again.

He was instantly cautious. "What do you want to know?"

"The Cullens adopted you?" I offered.

"Yes."

I hesitated a moment. "What happened to your real parents?"

"They died many years ago," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I'm sorry," I said in a small voice.

"Don't be. I barely remember them. Carlisle and Esme have been my parents for a long time."

"And you love them." It wasn't a question. It was obvious in the way he spoke about them.

"Yes." He smiled. "I couldn't imagine two better people."

"You're very lucky."

"I know I am." I was about to ask about his siblings when he asked, "What is your mother like?"

"Well," I started, bringing Renee to the forefront of my thoughts, "she's beautiful, of course. People say we look a lot alike." Edward raised an eyebrow at me. I blushed when I realized it sounded like I just vainly described myself as beautiful. I laughed it off. "But personally, I think I look a lot more like Charlie." I smiled. "She's more outgoing than I am… and braver."

"She'd have to be to leave her home and start over again somewhere new with a small child," Edward agreed.

"I know. She's irresponsible, though, and slightly eccentric and she's a very unpredictable cook. She's my best friend." I stopped. My eyes prickled with the threat of tears. I missed her so much in that moment.

"How old are you, Bella?" His voice was frustrated for some reason I couldn't imagine.

"Seventeen," I responded, a little confused. "Why?"

"You don't seem seventeen," he said in a reproachful tone. I laughed. "What?" he asked, curious.

"My mom always said I was born thirty-five years old and that I get more and more middle-aged every year." I laughed again. "You don't seem much like a high school Junior yourself," I noted. He made a face and changed the subject.

"So, why did you mother marry Phil?"

I thought about it for a moment.

"My mom… she's very young for her age. I think maybe Phil makes her feel even younger. At any rate, she's crazy about him." I shrugged.

"Do you approve?" he asked.

"Well sure, he's a nice guy. But, I mean, would it matter if I didn't? I want her to be happy and he makes her happy."

"That's very generous of you. I wonder would she extend the same courtesy to you no matter whom your choice was?" he asked.

"I don't know… maybe. But I mean she is the parent after all so it's a little different."

"So no one too scary, then?" he teased. I grinned in response.

"What, you mean like facial piercings and tattoos?"

"That's one definition, I suppose." A faint smile danced on his lips. "You think _I_ could be scary?" My thoughts drifted to the accident again.

"I think you could… if you wanted to be," I amended. "Why? You want my mom's approval? What are you saying exactly?" I teased back. He looked away, laughing a little. Did he seem the slightest bit embarrassed?

"Bella, hey!" a voice cut through the air. I jumped. I looked up to see Mike approaching us from across the quad. Edward jumped up and held out a hand for me. I took it, reveling in how cold it was. Then I realized I was cold too… and stiff from sitting on the freezing, hard cement of the sidewalk. "I never saw you in the nurse's office. Are you okay?" Mike asked as he reached us where we stood. He eyed Edward with disdain.

"Uh, yeah. I'm feeling much better, thanks." I said giving a sideways glance at Edward who was standing a little too close to me. Edward was maintaining slightly aggressive eye contact with Mike. "Edward was just keeping me company while I recovered. I didn't want to go back to class. I probably would have just gotten sick all over again," I explained taking a small step away from Edward. The bell rang then making me jump again. It was too tense between the three of us. Mike looked at me and gave me a small smile.

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better. Jeez, I guess we missed class. I never got to find out what blood type I was," he laughed. I smiled back a little wanly. I didn't want to think about blood anymore. "Hey, want me to get your things? You left them back in Bio."

"Yeah. Thanks, Mike." He was so helpful.

"Okay, I'll see you in gym, alright?" He said before turning and heading into building four. I turned back to Edward and gave him a small smile.

"Want to walk me to gym?" I asked. Edward nodded and smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Your boyfriend doesn't like me very much," He said in a clipped voice.

"He's not my boyfriend," I mumbled blushing. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, like I said people are very easy to read. He seems to think of me as a threat to his chances with you." My face grew a deeper shade of crimson. "I'm sorry. I've embarrassed you," he said in a somber tone after I didn't respond. It was hard to find my voice and we walked together in awkward silence.

"Well, have a good weekend," he said sedately when we reached the gymnasium.

"Aren't you coming to school tomorrow?"

"No, I'm starting my weekend early."

"What are you going to do?"

"My family and I are going camping in the Goat Rocks Wilderness, just south of Rainier."

"Camping, huh? You guys do that a lot?" I asked. I was _so_ not an outdoorsy kind of person.

"Yes. We like to get out of the house anytime the sun's out. It doesn't happen often enough around here, don't you agree?"

"Don't I just," I grumbled as the first few drops of another oncoming shower hit the ground. "Well, have a good weekend. I'll see you later," I said with a wave before I turned and headed into the girls' locker room.

 _Well that was certainly interesting_ , I thought as I got dressed for PE. _I think I actually enjoyed a conversation with Edward Cullen. Wonders never cease._

* * *

Thanks so much for reading the latest chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think! I always love to hear from you guys. :)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 **Authors Note:**

Okay, I've got to get a little something off my chest before we begin.

Where's the love for Mike? I am honestly baffled by everyone's response to him. Why do you guys hate poor, sweet Mike Newton so much?

I wrote him into Bella's story because, as I saw it, if vampires (namely Edward Cullen) didn't exist, Mike would have been a natural choice for Bella. I don't understand why, in the book, Bella writes him off as easily as she does. In Twilight, the author writes that Bella thinks Mike is cute but when she notices he likes her, she says something like "Jeez, I need to set him straight," but offers no explanation as to why she reacts that way, especially when she wasn't in love with Edward at the time.

Personally, I think Mike is a great guy! He's kind, sweet, cute, and he's loyal! Only Mike and Angela stick by Bella's side when she comes out of her zombie coma in the second book.

You guys are just going to have to learn to like Mike! Lol.

Okay, rant over. :D

Seriously though, I want to thank you all for reading and sticking with my first long story. Enjoy! :)

* * *

Word had gotten out about my little fainting spell and the next day I was lightheartedly ribbed about my dainty disposition. I smiled and held my tongue about the many heated things I wanted to retort about double standards; Lee had gotten sick too and no one said a word about him. The jokes got old real fast but I just gritted my teeth and got through the day.

At lunch, our table was abuzz with excitement about tomorrow's trip. Mike said the weather man promised sun and we were hopeful. It was a lot warmer today; almost 60.

I tried to tell myself I didn't really care if Edward was here or not, but I couldn't help but peek over at the Cullen's table in the corner. Only Jasper, Rosalie, and Alice sat at the table with their full trays of food, hardly talking to each other. _Oh well, I guess_ , I inwardly sighed and tried to convince myself it was no big deal. I couldn't understand why I felt so drawn to him. He was handsome, sure. The most gorgeous guy I'd ever laid my eyes on, but that wasn't it. He had this… inexplicable magnetism about him and though I tried to fight it, it seemed like I couldn't help but be sucked in by his mysterious pull. I thought of what he had said about how he shouldn't be my friend and that he wasn't good for me. He also implied that he was dangerous. I could believe it too because of his superior strength and speed… and not just those things but by how I seemed mesmerized by him when I was in his presence. I bet I might just do anything he asked me to if he looked up at me thorough his thick, dark lashes with those smoldering eyes and that musical voice of his. And that in itself was pretty dangerous, wasn't it? It seemed as though I would have to step very carefully when around Edward. Maybe I should even take him at his word and not be his friend at all.

My reverie was interrupted by the bell signaling the end of lunch and I jumped a little. How long was I staring at the Cullen's table? I really had to stop doing that, I thought, embarrassed.

As we herded out of the cafeteria, I caught the end of a nasty comment from Lauren.

"…don't know why _Bella_ —"she sneered, "doesn't just sit with the Cullens. She seems so interested in them lately." I never noticed what an unpleasant nasal quality her voice had and I was shocked by the nasty tone in it. I didn't think we knew each other well enough for her to dislike me.

"She's my friend; she sits with us," Mike whispered back loyally. My heart swelled a little for my hero. She opened her mouth to retort when I stepped quickly forward to Mike's side.

"Oh, I'd never leave you guys. I like you too much," I chimed cheerfully giving the two of them a saccharine smile. Lauren's eyes widened a fraction when she realized I must have heard her abuse my name. She returned the same fake smile and rolled her eyes before pausing to let Jessica catch up with her. The two had their heads together until our group branched off to go our separate ways. _Bitch_.

…

That night over a dinner of spaghetti, green salad, and garlic bread, Charlie enthused about my trip to La Push the next day. He seemed to approve of the small gang of kids I had become friends with. He knew all their parents of course, maybe even their grandparents too.

"So, we're meeting at Mike's dad's store at ten. Newton's Olympic Outfitters. You know where it is?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's just north of town. I could take you there. I need to buy some new fishing lures, anyhow," he offered, mopping up the meat sauce with a fresh piece of garlic bread. With the way he ate my cooking, I swear, if he didn't go out hiking and fishing every weekend with his fishing buddies, he'd have gained fifteen pounds in the short time since I moved in. _Hiking…_

"Hey, that reminds me, do you know a place called Goat Rocks or something? It's around Mt. Rainier," I said without thinking. I don't think I had mentioned Edward to Charlie once since I started school. I hoped he didn't ask who I was asking about.

"Yeah, why?"

"Oh, a friend said he and his family go camping there sometimes."

"It's not a very good place to go camping. Too many bears," he said surprised. "A lot of people go there during hunting season."

"Oh. Is it hunting season now?" I asked, confused.

"No," he said with a slow smile. "Who'd you say was camping there?"

"Just a friend from school, Dad. Don't worry; I'm sure I just got the name wrong." I said airily. He eyed me a little suspiciously but seemed appeased by my nonchalance and continued to clear his plate.

…

I tried to sleep in the next morning but a strange yellow light tugged at my eyelids, beckoning me awake. I opened my eyes to see my bedroom flooded with the golden yellow light of sunshine.

"No, freakin' way," I said in disbelief and scrambled to my window. I threw the curtains wide and drew in a jubilant breath of air. _The sun!_ I squealed gleefully in my head, doing a small jig in front of the window. I looked like a lunatic, but didn't care; the sun was here. The weather man did not let any of us down. There was a distant ring of clouds on the horizon but for now the sky was blue and the sun shone brightly.

I wasn't able to wipe the smile off my face as I got dressed and ate breakfast. It was going to be a good day, I could feel it.

…

Charlie and I arrived at Newton's Olympic Outfitters at five till ten in the police cruiser. There was quite a crowd of teenagers and we had everyone's attention as we pulled up. Charlie and I got out of the car and approached the crowd.

"Hey, Bella, you came!" Mike called out to me, coming forward.

"Well, of course! I wouldn't miss a trip to the beach on a day like this," I answered cheerfully. Charlie cleared his throat. Mike's smile faltered.

"Good morning, Chief Swan," Mike said, holding out his hand.

"Morning, Mr. Newton," Charlie responded in an official tone taking Mike's hand in a firm grip. "I trust you'll have a responsible trip? Keep my daughter safe?" He still had not let go of Mike's hand. Mike gulped.

"Yes sir. Absolutely, Chief Swan," Mike choked out. I was mildly mortified at Charlie's fatherly intimidation tactics. Charlie grinned wide and dropped Mike's hand.

"You kids have a good time." He turned to me. "Bells, I want you home by eleven at the latest, you hear?"

"Sure Dad. No problem." I blushed, embarrassed. He gave me a wave as he headed into the store.

"Bells?" Mike teased as we headed over to where our friends were waiting by Mike's suburban and Tyler's new (used) Sentra.

"Shut up, _Mr. Newton_ ," I teased back, mimicking my dad's deep and official voice.

We were both giggling when we reached the group. Eric was there along with Ben and Conner. Jess was flanked by Angela and Lauren. Three other girls stood with them but I wasn't sure of their names. I think I may have tripped over one of them in gym once. _Yep_. She gave me a dirty look and whispered something to Lauren who shook out her corn silk hair and eyed me scornfully. _Oh joy. It was going to be one of **those**_ _days_. I turned away from the bitchy girls and greeted Angela and Jessica, determined to have a good time.

"We're just waiting on Lee and Samantha," Mike said looking around. "Will you ride with me in my car? You can have shotgun," he offered with a smile.

"Sure." I smiled up at him.

Lee arrived with two extra people and every seat between Mike's Suburban and Lee's mom's minivan was suddenly necessary. We wound up driving the 15 miles to La Push from Forks with Jessica wedged between Mike and I in the front seat. It felt a bit claustrophobic, but I had a window seat so it wasn't so bad. I was grateful for the opportunity to soak up every ray of sunshine I could.

I had been to the beaches in La Push many times with Charlie when I was little. Charlie was lifelong friends with a couple of residents on the reservation, Billy Black and Harry Clearwater. I was often left to play with Billy's twin girls when Charlie and he got together to go fishing.

When we arrived at the crescent-shaped First Beach, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia. There were the large flat stones that stood between the road and the thin boarder of sand that met the water. I remembered they looked uniformly dusty and gray from afar, but when examined up close they were every color imaginable. The tide line was strewn with huge driftwood trees that many generations before us had used to sit and watch the stone colored waves break upon the sand. Islands with sheer cliff faces rose out of the white-capped water in the distance. There was a crisp wind coming off the waves and a few gulls and pelicans bobbed in the water off the shore. The beach was interrupted on one side by a forest of ancient Firs. They were grouped so closely together they mostly blocked out the light when you traveled through them to get to the other side where a large grouping of rocks created many lively and colorful tide pools.

We made our way to the beach, Mike in the lead, and settled down on a ring of driftwood logs that had been used by parties like our before. There were still black ashes in the fire circle in the center. Eric and Ben collected broken branches of driftwood for a fire and soon had a teepee shaped construction built atop the old cinders.

"Have you ever seen a driftwood fire?" Mike asked me, lighting one of the smaller twigs with a lighter.

"No," I replied from the log where I sat next to gossiping girls. Mike began to light the teepee on all its sides.

"You'll like this then—watch the colors," he said. Mike squeezed in next to me on the log. He had to shift his arm and drape it across my shoulders to fit in comfortably. I blushed at the contact. The flames quickly began to lick up the sides of the dried drift wood.

"It's blue!" I gasped in wonder.

"The salt does it. Pretty isn't it?" We watched the blue and green flames crackle toward the sky in silence while the other kids laughed and babbled around us.

After half an hour or so some of the boys wanted to hike to the nearby tide pools. I was torn. On the one hand, I really loved the tide pools as a kid. On the other, I used to fall into them an awful lot which wasn't too bad when you're young and with your dad. It was another thing entirely when surrounded by your peers and the boy you harbored a huge crush on. Ultimately, Lauren made up my mind for me when she and a few others opted to stay.

The hike wasn't too long, though I hated to lose the sun in the green shade of the forest separating First Beach and the tide pools. I had to watch every step in case I lost my footing and I began to fall behind the others. Mike stuck by my side the whole way, though. Miraculously, I tripped only once but Mike caught my fall, as a personal hero is want to do, and held my hand the rest of the way. I figured it was to ensure I didn't trip, but when we cleared the last of the trees and reached the tide pools, he didn't drop my hand. Instead, with our fingers laced together, he lead the way to one of the largest pools.

We sat down at the pool's edge on a large, sturdy-looking rock and stared spell-bound in silence at the lively miniature aquarium before us. The colorful anemones swayed in an invisible current while hermit crabs scuttled about. There were gnarled looking starfish along the pool's edges and a small black eel with white racing stripes wove deftly between bright green blades of grass.

"I always loved these tide pools when I was little," I said breaking our absorption.

"Oh yeah, I forget you used to come up to Forks all the time."

"Every summer," I told him. They used to fascinate me. They were the only things I would look forward to on my trips up here." My last sentence clanged around in my mind for a second. "God, is that true?" I blurted out, more to myself than to Mike who looked at my quizzically. "I must have been a terrible kid. Poor Charlie had probably missed me like crazy and looked forward to my visits all year while I resented every trip," I continued, answering his wordless question. Upset and a little chagrined at my self-revelation, I looked away and back into the tide pool.

"All kids are self-centered," Mike said in a reassuring tone. He began to stroke the back of my hand with his thumb. "I wouldn't stress too much about the past. I mean, you're here now spending quality time with your dad, aren't you? That's what counts."

"I guess," I mumbled. I decided to keep the fact that I came here begrudgingly, as a martyr, to myself. But he was right; I did feel differently about Forks now and Charlie and I had really reconnected since I moved up here.

"No, really. Listen," Mike said earnestly. "I grew up an only child but when I was six my parents told me they were going to have another baby. I threw a fit! I did not want another baby in the house." I smiled up at him picturing a cute, little six-year-old Mike. "And when my mom miscarried," he continued, "I remember I was _happy_. I wouldn't have to share my toys or my parents. I thought I had gotten my way and I couldn't understand why everyone was so sad." Mike's eyes were distant in his memories. He looked back at me, apologetic. "I still feel like such an asshole when I think back on it."

"I'm so sorry, Mike," I said quietly. He smiled then, the corners of his eyes crinkling a little.

"Don't be. It was a long time ago and that's my point: the past is the past. All kids are self-centered little assholes." He laughed. "My parents still love me and I just try to be more selfless in my actions because of it." His emerald eyes were smoldering, his voice deep and lovely. I looked back into the clear water and sighed.

"You're such a good person, Mike."

"You're a good person too, Bella," he said, catching my chin and slowly turning my face to his. "I can see it in your heart." A warm smile spread across his face as my cheeks flushed. With his hand still lightly perched beneath my chin, Mike began to slowly lean in toward me. "You are so beautiful when you blush, you know that?" he whispered.

Our eyes slipped shut as I closed the distance between us and our lips met lightly for the first time, briefly at first and then again a moment longer. His lips were soft and warm against mine. When we parted, I couldn't help but beam. It was the best kind of first kiss with a boy you really liked; warm, sweet, and intimate. We both let out a nervous chuckle and looked away, suddenly shy. I noticed with pleasure that Mike's cheeks were just as rosy as mine.

After an awkward silence, our conversation picked up again and we chatted comfortably about our favorite beach spots, mine in Arizona and his in California, all the while our hands were laced closely together.

…

Finally, the boys were hungry and they began to migrate back to the beach. Mike and I got up stiffly from our place on the rock to follow them, bringing up the rear again. When we finally arrived at First Beach, I saw our group had multiplied in our absence. The newcomers' straight black hair and copper-colored skin gave them away; sitting around the small fire alongside our classmates were some of the local teenagers from the reservation. There were seven in all from the look of it.

Eric introduced us when we finally arrived and I noticed one of the boys perk up and bring his gaze to me with interest at the mention of my name. The oldest looking among the reservation crowd rattled off their names as Mike and I each grabbed a sandwich and soda. All I caught was that one of the girls was also named Jessica and that the boy who had noticed me was named Jacob. Mike and I settled in next to Angela to eat and chat with the newcomers.

The group was happily chatting while we ate our lunches. There was a great feeling of comradery that emanated from the circle. I figured it stemmed from the good food, conversation, and sunshine the latter of which seemed to be fading. The clouds had finally caught up with us but the sun was still doing its best to shine; peeking through the breaks in the clouds whenever it could.

After everyone had finished their lunches, they began to break off in groups of twos and threes. Some went to stroll along the water's edge, while some were going to hike back to the tide pools, and others headed out to the local shops.

"Want to go back to the tide pools?" Mike asked at my side.

"Hmm…" I didn't want to go back into the cover of the trees and miss out on what might be the last sunshine of the day. "I think I'm gonna stay and soak up what's left of the sun," I said finally. Mike seemed torn, like he really wanted to go back to the pools, but also wanted to spend more time with me.

"Mike, you coming?" Eric called from the tree line.

"Yeah!" He called back, resolved. "I'll see you later then," he said and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. My face blushed crimson as I smiled after his retreating form.

I wasn't alone at the fire pit. Lauren and Tyler were still there sitting side by side playing with a CD player and three local kids sat opposite me. Jacob was among them and he got up and started to saunter over to where I sat. I had time to appraise him as he approached me. The softness of his chin said he was around 14 or 15 and he had long, glossy black hair that was tied into a low pony at the nape of his neck. His skin was a beautiful, rich mocha, his eyes dark and set deep over high cheekbones. Altogether he had a very pleasant face; warm and attractive.

"You're Isabella Swan, right?" he said when he sat beside me on the sun-bleached driftwood bench.

"Bella," I corrected _. How had the story of my homecoming reached La Push_ , I thought, exasperated.

"I'm Jacob Black," he said extending his hand in a friendly gesture. "You bought my dad's truck."

"Oh!" I exclaimed with a smile and shaking his hand. "You're Billy's son. I should probably remember you. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I'm the youngest so you wouldn't remember me, but you'd probably remember my sisters. Rachel—"

"And Rebecca," I finished, suddenly remembering their names. "Our dad's used to throw us all together when they went fishing," I laughed. "Are they here?" I asked, looking around. I wondered if I'd even recognize them after all these years.

"No. Rachel got a scholarship to Washington State and Rebecca got married to some surfer and they live in Hawaii."

"What, no way! Hawaii? Married? Jeez, they aren't that much older than I am." Jacob gave me a smile.

"So how's the truck?" he asked.

"Oh, I love it. It runs great."

"Yeah, but it's slow," he laughed. "I was glad when Charlie bought it. My dad wouldn't let me start building a new car while we had a perfectly good car already."

"It may be slow, but it does great in collisions," I smiled back.

"Are you kidding? I don't think a tank could take out that old monster," he agreed with another laugh.

"So you build cars? That's impressive."

"When I've got the time and the parts," he shrugged. "You wouldn't happen to have a master cylinder for an 86' Volkswagen Rabbit, would you?" he joked. His voice was husky and appealing.

"As it so happens, I do! I never leave the house without my… what was it called again?" I joked back. The sound of our mingled laughter caught Lauren's attention.

"Bella," she called across the fire pit," I was just telling Tyler that it's such a pity no one invited the Cullens along on our trip." Her tone was laced with false concern.

"You mean Dr. Carlisle Cullen's family?" the older guy asked before I could respond with something catty.

"Yes. Do you know them or something?" she replied condescendingly.

"The Cullens don't come here," was all he said in a tone that said the subject was closed. Tyler reclaimed Lauren's attention but I stared at the guy, taken aback. Something in his tone implied something more, but the way he was looking away into the trees of the forest said he wasn't saying anymore on the subject. _What the heck was **that**_ _about?_

I was still ruminating on his comment when Jacob brought me back to the present. "So, is Forks driving you crazy yet?"

"Ugh, yes. How do you guys deal with _all_ the rain _all_ the time?" I whined, wrinkling my nose in distaste.

"What, you don't have your sea legs yet?" he teased. He was so easy to get along with, I couldn't help but smile.

"Hey wanna take a walk? I need to stretch my legs," I said standing up and brushing damp sand from my butt. I noticed Jacob's eyes linger a little too long on my rump… and I found I didn't mind it very much.

"Sure," he said with a grin. We walked side by side north toward the driftwood sea wall. The sun finally lost the fight against the clouds and the beach darkened, the temperature dropping a few degrees. My thoughts fell on the Cullen comment again.

"Who was that guy Lauren was talking to?" I asked suddenly.

"That's Sam Uley."

"What was that about the Cullens he was saying?"

"Oh, just that the Cullens aren't allowed on the reservation."

"That's weird. Why not?" I tried to keep the burning curiosity out of my voice.

"Well… I'm not actually supposed to talk about that," he said, biting his lip. _Shit._ When he put it that way, I knew there was definitely something going on. Could this have something to do with Edward's superpowers? I was dying to know.

Remembering his lingering stare at my butt earlier, I quickly hatched an admittedly lame plan to seduce the information out of young, naïve Jacob Black. I hoped I could pull it off; I'd never seduced anyone before.

"Oh?" I asked innocently with what I hoped was an alluring smile. "I promise I won't tell anyone. I'm just curious." I batted my eyelashes like an idiot.

He looked down at me and smiled conspiratorially, looking allured. He raised an eyebrow and lowered his voice. "Do you like scary stories?" He asked ominously.

"I _love_ scary stories," I replied in a sultry voice. It seemed my plan worked. Jacob led the way over to a driftwood tree, its roots jutting up out of the surrounding stones. We took a seat on the twisted roots when we reached it.

"There are lots of legends surrounding the origins of the Quileute tribe," he began. "Some claim our people date back to the great Flood. Supposedly our people had the foresight to tie canoes to the tops of the tallest trees. That way they were safe from the rising waters." He smiled to show me how little stock he put in the old stories. "Other legends say that our people descended from wolves and that the wolves are our brothers still.

"Then, there are the stories about the cold ones." His voice dropped even lower.

"The cold ones?" I asked, not having to fake any intrigue.

"Yes. Some stories are as old as the legends themselves. Some are much more recent. The stories say that my own great-grandfather made a treaty with the cold one's leader to keep them off our land," he said theatrically.

"Your great-grandfather?"

"He was a tribal elder, just like my father. You see, the cold ones are natural enemies of the wolf. Well, not wolves like the animal, but wolves that turn into people; into _my_ people. Werewolves, you might call them."

"Werewolves?" I asked, incredulous.

"Yep. And they only have one enemy. So, the stories say that a pack of these cold ones came into the area during my great-grandfather's time but they insisted they were different. They didn't hunt the way others of their kind did and they weren't a danger to the tribe. So my great-grandfather made a truce with them: as long as these cold one's stayed off our land, we wouldn't expose them to the local pale faces," he winked at me. I playfully nudged his knee.

"What did the cold ones usually hunt? Why were these ones different?"

"They claimed they didn't hunt humans, but instead preyed on animals." _Holy shit_.

I tried to keep my voice casual. "So, what does any of this have to do with the Cullens? Are they like the cold ones your great-grandfather made the treaty with?"

"No." he paused dramatically. "They're the _same_ ones." He made an explosion sound and mimed being blown back. No joke. He had seriously just dropped a bomb. He must have thought the expression on my face was fear inspired by his story. He smiled, pleased by the affect of his storytelling skills and continued. "There are more of them now; a new female and male, but the rest are the same. My great-grandfather made the treaty with none other than Carlisle Cullen himself, the pack's leader. He'd been here and gone long before _your_ people had even arrived." He was fighting a smile.

"And what are they, these cold ones?" I finally asked.

Jacob leaned in and whispered in a chilling voice, "Blood drinkers. Vampires." I felt my stomach plummet and the blood drain from my face. I had to look away out into the surf. Jacob laughed.

"Oh my God, I got you so good! Look, you have goosebumps!" He teased, delighted.

"You're a really good story teller," I said with a shaky laugh.

"Pretty crazy, though, huh? No wonder my dad doesn't want us to talk about it with anyone."

"Don't worry, I won't say anything. I'll take it to my grave," I said with a shiver.

"Seriously though, don't say anything to Charlie. He's still mad at my dad when he heard some of us weren't going down to the hospital since Dr. Cullen started working there."

"Don't worry, I won't," I said. I still couldn't trust my expression enough to look at him.

"So you think we're a bunch of superstitious natives or what?" he asked in a playful tone, but with a hint of worry. I still hadn't looked away from the ocean. I turned and smiled as normally as I could.

"No. I just think you're very good at telling ghost stories. I still have goosebumps, see?" I held up my arm.

"Cool." He smiled.

The sound of clattering rocks alerted us to someone's approach. We both looked up to see Mike and Jessica approaching us.

"There you are, Bella!" Mike called, waving to us.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Jacob asked in a low voice, leaning a little closer to me. I was surprised at the obvious jealous note in his tone.

"No, not really," I whispered back. I felt guilty considering the lovely kiss I shared with Mike earlier, but I couldn't stem the desire to make Jacob happy. I got up and, with my back to Mike, I winked at Jacob. He smiled back, elated at my inept flirting.

"Where've you been?" Mike asked when he and Jessica finally reached us. "We're packing things up. It looks like rain." We all glowered up at the sky.

"Jacob was just telling me some local stories." Mike looked Jacob over and seemed satisfied with his obvious youth. I inwardly rolled my eyes. _Boys._

"Well," Mike said, "we're planning on taking off soon."

"Okay, I'm coming," I turned back to Jacob. "Hey, next time Charlie comes down to visit Billy I'll come too." I hoped it sounded casual and not like I was leading him on too much; I really did like Jacob. He was someone I could easily be friends with. A grin spread across his face.

"Sure, sure," he said in his husky voice. "It was nice seeing you _again,_ " he said taunting Mike a bit.

"See you. And _thanks_ ," I said earnestly before turning and walking with Mike across the flat stones and toward the suburban.

"So, who was that guy?" Mike asked.

"Jacob? He's a family friend. We've known each other since we were babies." I said lightly. "Small world, huh?"

"Yeah," Mike replied, sounding a little bothered. I tried to shrug off his jealousy but it was getting a little disorienting dealing with jealousy that came from all directions like it seemed to be doing as of late. Mike, Edward, and now Jacob too. How much could a girl take?

A few drops started to fall when we reached the parking lot. Mike invited me to sit by his side up front after we packed our things. I happily agreed and we rode back to Forks with his arm draped around me and my head resting on his shoulder, trying very hard not to think.

* * *

Thanks again for reading! As always, let me know what you think of the chapter. I love to hear from you guys. Let me know your thoughts on the Mike debate! Lol.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

* * *

Though I did my best to stem the dizzying whirl of thoughts threatening to race through my brain on the car ride home, I lost the battle when I waved goodbye to Mike and stepped through the front door. I told Charlie I had homework to do and swiftly retired to my bedroom. I did not want to think. Thinking was bad. I did not want to think about what Jacob had said— _stop_ _it_ —about the Cullens— _stop it!_ —and how they were ancient— _I mean it!_ —cold— _damn it_ —bloodsucking— _please stop_ —vampires— _UGH!_

Overwhelmed and frustrated, I snatched my iPod from the desk where it lay and shoved the earbuds into my ears. Flopping down onto the bed, I hit shuffle and cranked up the volume to a tolerably deafening level. I laid down in a huff and closed my eyes. The room was still too bright. Too lazy to get up to turn off the lights, I took my pillow and laid it over the top half of my face.

I did my best not to think; to shut out all thought and focus on the music instead. I made myself really listen to every note, every chord. I thought about each lyric and contemplated the symbolism each song alluded to. I sang when I felt like it—how loudly, I didn't know. _Hope Charlie doesn't mind._

…

I must have fallen asleep at some point because I suddenly found myself in a rich, green forest. Just as I knew I was dreaming, I knew this forest was the very same dense expanse of trees separating First Beach from the tide pools. All around me was the still quiet and the vital green of the forest. I walked along peacefully, not really going anywhere in particular. All the sudden Jacob Black was there. He was tugging on my hand with all his strength, pulling me into the deep darkness of the forest.

"Jacob, what's wrong?" I asked him. He looked terrified.

"Run, Bella. You have to run!" he pleaded, struggling to pull me farther into the darkness.

"This way Bella!" I heard Mike cry out from the gloomy heart of the trees.

"Why? I don't want to go into the dark!" I resisted Jacob's pull.

Jacob's eyes focused on something behind me and I turned to find a blinding light coming closer to where we struggled on the forest floor.

"Run Bella!" Mike shouted again from some unseen place.

Then Edward stepped out from the trees. The light seemed to be emanating from his pale skin. He gestured for me to come to him. I felt no desire to follow him or to go with Jacob into the darkness.

"Quick Bella, before it's too late," Jacob whispered at my side.

"What do you mean?" I asked. I didn't see the urgency of the situation.

"Can't you see how dangerous he is? Can't you see he's a killer?" I looked back at Edward. He looked like he always did. Then Edward smiled showing off a set of sharp teeth. My eyes widened with shock.

"I thought you said he was different." I turned back to Jacob just in time to see his body beginning to snap into inhuman angles, his shrieks of pain echoing through the forest. "Jacob!" I screamed, alarmed and concerned.

Jacob continued to contort until, with a howl, he was suddenly a wolf. Wide-eyed I looked on in awe as the Jacob-wolf snarled at Edward who bared his fangs with a menacing hiss. I shrieked and turned away when the wolf leapt toward the vampire… and that's when I woke up.

I shot upright in bed my heart pounding and my eyes fuzzy with sleep. My pillow fell to the floor with a _flump_. I yanked the earbuds from my ears and realized not only did I still have the lights on, but I was still fully dressed, boots and all. I stared bleary-eyed at the clock on my nightstand. It was 5:30 in the morning. _Jeez_. I groggily shuffled over to the switch and flipped off the light. I stripped, half asleep, on the trudge back to the bed, where I fell face down. I tossed and turned trying to fall back asleep. I groaned. I was too awake now. _Damn it. May as well just get up_.

I grabbed my bathroom bag and hopped into the shower. _I spent all that time doing my best not to think_ , I fumed, _and I wind up dreaming about… about... Fuuuck._ I was just going to have to confront my thoughts.

…

After my shower, I stepped lightly back to my room. I wasn't sure if Charlie was awake yet. I got dressed and sat in the rocking chair in the corner. I took a deep breath and exhaled heavily.

 _Okay. No more stalling. No more avoiding the issue at hand. Let's lay it all out on the table, shall we?_ I thought, pulling my legs up underneath my body. Jacob says the Cullens are vampires. That's totally, completely, and utterly insane, right? _Right?_

 _Well…_ there was the incident with the car crash. Edward had somehow moved with lightning speed and stopped a van with his body. You saw the dent with your own eyes, I told myself. And his eyes: his eyes change color. They go from gold to black and back again. I also noted his mood seemed to fluctuate along with the color of his eyes. His skin: Jacob said the Cullens were "cold ones." Edward's hands were ice cold each time I touched them. And he skipped class the day we did blood typing. _Circumstantial!_ I berated myself.

 _Okay, so what about typical vampire lore?_ They are undead, bloodthirsty monsters. They hate garlic and crucifixes. They sleep in coffins during the day and come out only at night. _That's right!_ Vampires fry in the sun. That in itself disproved Jacob altogether. Edward couldn't possibly be a vampire if he walked around during the day, _so there! …Right?_

The strength… the speed… what do those mean? If he's not a vampire _(a vampire, how crazy of me to even consider it,_ I tittered _)_ what was he?Because he was definitely something. Bruce Banner and Peter Parker came to mind. Those made more sense to me than Edward being a vampire. _Oh my God, I am going crazy!_ I thought with an exasperated groan, leaping off the chair. I began to pace my bedroom.

 _I am going crazy_ , I thought frantically. _That must be it, I am just going bat shit cuckoo bananas. There's no such thing as vampires or werewolves or frickin' Spiderman!_

I suddenly felt claustrophobic pacing my small room. I turned and shoved on my boots and stomped down the stairs without thinking. Charlie didn't seem to be home. He must have gotten an early start on his weekly fishing trip. I shrugged into my coat not really knowing where the hell I was going and stomped out the door.

I paused only for a second before heading off toward the tree line that bordered the one side of the yard. There was a small trail that wound its way through the forest and I followed it. It wasn't long before I lost sight of the house and I was enveloped completely in the trees. The only sounds as I trudged along were the heavy fall of my footsteps and the faint twitter of unseen birds in the distance.

As I ran out of steam, I saw a fallen tree that looked like the perfect spot to sit just off the path. I waded waist deep through lush ferns and sat upon the mossy trunk. It was so beautiful here, I noted, really looking at my surroundings for the first time. The tree I sat upon rested against the trunk of one of her sisters creating a sheltered bench. I could hear the muted patter of falling raindrops, though if they were leftovers from yesterday's rain or if it had begun to rain again I wasn't sure. The pervasive green that flooded my eyesight from every direction spoke to the living, breathing fertility of the unyielding forest.

I suddenly found myself thinking this was the wrong place to be. It reminded me too much of my dream and I was immediately put on edge, expecting some sinister character from a movie to step into view. It was much easier here among the ancient trees to believe in monsters and things that go bump in the night. I let out a long, deep breath, steeling myself.

 _Okay_ , I told myself, _so maybe I'm not crazy and Edward really is a vampire. What then? What should I do?_ There were only two realistic options in my mind. The first was to take Edward at his word and not be his friend. I would need to shut off all communication with him. Tell him not to talk to me anymore and pretend he didn't exist.

The other option was to do nothing different. If Edward really was a vampire, then he certainly wasn't a dangerous one. Hell, he had even saved my life. How bad could he be if he saves lives? And Jacob said it too; the Cullens were different. They didn't hunt people like other vampires, only animals. So maybe I didn't need to be afraid. Maybe it was okay to just be his friend. But did I even _want_ to be his friend? I didn't know him that well. I could easily cut him out of my life and be totally fine. My head spun in answerless circles.

 _Welp_ , I thought getting up from the fallen log, _so long as I'm not in any immediate danger, I may as well do nothing._ Besides, I was curious as hell to see Edward now in this new light and new frame of mind. _Would he be all that different? Would he know I knew?_ I thought as I clomped back down the path to the house.

…

I spent the rest of the day writing a paper on Macbeth for English, my mind at peace and confident in my decision. I finished the paper before bed that night and slept fitfully and dreamlessly.

I awoke to sunshine flooding my bedroom through the window for the second time since I arrived in Forks. I smiled and stretched in my bed. Despite yesterday's apprehensive decision making, I knew that as long as the sun was shining I would have a good day.

Charlie appeared to be sharing my good mood when I came down for breakfast.

"Nice day out," he commented with a grin, the corners of his eyes crinkling.

"Yes," I agreed emphatically.

I appraised my father through the rays of sunlight that filtered through the kitchen windows. When he smiled, I could see the remnants of the young man he had been; the romantic one who swept my mother off her feet and jumped too quickly into an early marriage. Much of that man had faded by the time I had gotten to know him as a person, much like his curly brown hair—the same color and texture as my own—had faded. But when he smiled, I could see it there; the ghost of the man who had run away with Renee when she as just two years older than I was.

When we were finished with breakfast, Charlie left for work and I grabbed my things. It would be tempting fate to leave my coat despite the wonderful sunshine and I begrudgingly tucked it under my arm before heading off to school.

In my haste to get out and enjoy the sunshine as much as possible, I arrived at school a bit early and I was one of the first cars in the parking lot. I parked and headed onto campus in a cheery mood. I spied a couple of benches sitting in the sunlight and was glad to have a use for my rain coat after all. It would make a nice waterproof barrier between my behind and the damp bench seat. I sat back and closed my eyes, soaking up the sun rays with a peaceful calm.

I heard someone call my name. I opened my eyes and realized the campus had come to life around me and Mike was heading my way.

"Hey, Mike," I called out with a smile. He came and sat by me, a wide smile on his handsome face. He was wearing cargo shorts and a rugby polo. Confused, I glanced around—everyone was wearing t-shirts and some, like Mike, were in shorts. It made me shiver unconsciously—it couldn't have been more than 60 out.

"Aren't you cold?" I asked, incredulous.

"Cold? No way, it's so warm out!" he replied, cheerily. I shook my head and gave out a laugh. He had to be crazy. "I never noticed before—your hair has red in it," he said suddenly, catching a stray lock of hair in his fingers.

"Only in the sun." I blushed when he tucked it behind my ear. I looked up at him through my lashes, bashful. He gave a rugged sort of grin before leaning in and lightly kissing me, his hand cradling my jaw. I let out a content sigh. It _was_ a good day.

"Great day isn't it?" he said after setting back on the bench.

"You read my mind," I agreed.

"So how'd the rest of your weekend go?"

"I mostly just worked on my essay for English."

Mike hit his forehead with the heel of his hand. "Oh crap. That's due Thursday, right?"

"Wednesday I think."

"Wednesday?" he asked with a frown. "That's not good. What's yours about?"

"Whether Shakespeare's treatment of the female characters is misogynistic." He stared at me like I had spoken a foreign language and I laughed at his expression.

"Jeez. I guess I better work on that tonight," he said deflated. "I _was_ going to ask if you wanted to go out." He leaned on my shoulder, batting his eyelashes comically.

"Oh," I said a slow smile creeping across my face.

"We could go get dinner or something. I can always work on my paper later."

"I have a better idea. Why don't you come over to my house after school? We can work on your paper together and I can make us dinner. How's that sound?"

"Sounds like a date," Mike said with a grin, leaning in for another quick kiss.

…

In trigonometry, Jessica was bubbling with enthusiasm. She, Angela and Lauren were going dress shopping for the dance in Port Angeles the following night and she wanted me to come too. Despite Lauren's presence, I happily accepted. After all, I needed a dress for the dance and I was also hoping there might be a semi-decent book store in the touristy town.

Jessica talked endlessly of nothing but the dance on the way to Spanish, continuing as though without interruption when class ended. I was excited about the dance too but _holy crap could this girl talk!_ I figured her enthusiasm for a simple school dance that wasn't even prom must be due to her being raised in a small town where nothing interesting really happened. I tried to pay attention to what she said on our way to lunch, but I suddenly became preoccupied by the idea of seeing not just Edward there but all the Cullens. I was eager to re-analyze them with the new information I had acquired over the weekend.

As I entered the cafeteria a tingle of fear shivered down my spine. Would they know what I was thinking? But my fear turned to disappointment when I realized they weren't sitting at their usual table. _Poop_. It seemed my curiosity would just have to wait.

…

The rest of the day passed painfully slowly. In gym, Coach Clapp introduced our new unit: Badminton. _Great, so now they're going to arm me with a racket?_ He spent the entire period discussing the game so at least I got to sit and listen instead of stumbling around the court. After class, Mike and I agreed he'd come over around four. It would give me enough time to get a fish marinating for dinner, freshen up and write a quick email to mom.

I had just pressed send when the doorbell rang. In my excitement to answer the door, I hurried down the steps and wound up stumbling on the second to last one. I landed in a heap at the foot of the stairs. Silently cursing both the stupid stairs and my equally stupid feet, I recomposed myself as best I could before opening the door with a smile.

"Hey," I greeted Mike, my voice shakier from the fall than I would have preferred.

"Hey Bella. What was that sound? I thought I heard a crash." He said warily peering around me into the house. My face flushed as I invited him inside.

"Oh, you know… justmefallingdownthestairs," I mumbled quickly, absentmindedly rubbing the elbow I smarted on the hardwood floor. "SO! I was thinking that since it's such a nice day out we could work outside," I said before he could say anything else. We grabbed an old quilt from the hall closet and a couple of sodas from the fridge and made a little picnic on the side lawn. Mike brought out his books and we lounged while talking about possible paper topics and then going over excerpts from the play that he could use to support his thesis.

Time passed easily and comfortably with Mike as we soaked up the sunshine. Conversation petered out as we lay on our backs, side by side on the quilt. Propping himself up on one elbow, Mike looked over at me, his eyes soft.

"Bella," he said quietly looking into my eyes. "I really like you."

I smiled.

"I really like you too, Mike."

"I want," he paused, looking down, hiding his face. "God, this is going to sound so corny." He looked back up at me, his cheeks pink. "I want us to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Will you? Be my girlfriend, I mean?"

I blushed too.

"Yes," I said smiling even wider. "Yes, I will."

Mike let out a gust of air that was half a laugh.

"Awesome!" he exclaimed.

His gaze came back to my face, his expression sobering. He brought his hand up to twirl a lock of my chestnut hair, red undertones shimmering in the sunlight, through his fingers. Cradling the back of my head and neck in his hand, Mike leaned over me and planted a soft kiss on my lips. I smiled again when he pulled away. We gazed into each other's eyes for a moment when the realization that I was home alone with a boy hit me. My heart began to flutter at the thought of the look on Charlie's face if he saw Mike and me together out on the lawn like this. When Mike still had not broken eye contact with me, the image of Charlie's face was immediately replaced by one that made my cheeks flush again.

All traces of a smile gone, Mike leaned down to kiss me again, his lips bearing down on mine with more meaning. I kissed back, matching his pace and intention. My hands crept up across his back and up to run through the crunchy spikes of his blonde hair. I parted my lips and brushed his bottom lip with the tip of my tongue. I let my tongue venture out for another taste when it met Mike's with a surprising sensation that sent a pleasurable tingle shooting down my spine. Mike's hand ran through my hair and I snuggled closer to his body, our chests touching and our legs tangled together.

As we lay there in the warm sunlight our kisses increased in intensity, our breathing coming in quick and heavy gasps. Mike's hand ran down my spine to rest on the small of my back. He pulled me even closer to him as he thrust his tongue deep into my mouth and I reflexively ground my hips against his. His groan in return excited me to my very core, which fluttered in response. He pulled me even tighter, breaking our kiss for a gasp of air and I felt his hardness, hot even through the fabric of his cargo shorts and my jeans, dig into my hip.

Our breathing heavy, we looked into each other's eyes and I bit my lip. Mike gave me a sultry smile, cheeks flushed with desire, and leaned down for another kiss. My arms had just wrapped around his shoulders when we heard Charlie's cruiser pull up in the drive. _Oh my God, it must be later than I thought!_

We disentangled our bodies, faces beet red, and scrambled to our feet. We hurried into the house with our things and gave each other one last coy smile before Charlie came in through the door.

"Hey, Dad, sorry dinner's not ready yet. Mike and I were working on our English papers," I told him. Charlie paused for a fraction of a second while hanging up his gun belt. I worried he might decide to keep it on.

"Hello Chief Swan," Mike said pokerfaced.

"Mr. Newton," Charlie replied, stiffly. "Bella didn't tell me she was going to have a guest over… unchaperoned," he added under his breath. There was a beat of uncomfortable silence.

"Well, I'm going to go start dinner," I said breaking the silence and slinking off into kitchen leaving poor Mike for fend for himself.

"Why don't you join me in the living room," I heard Charlie say to Mike. "I want to catch the end of the game."

"Who's playing?" I heard Mike reply a little more at ease.

…

We all lingered at the dinner table long after we had finished eating enjoying the easy conversation and each other's company.

"Oh, hey Dad, before I forget," I said to Charlie after he had just finished telling a groan-inducing 'dad' joke. "Jessica and Angela are going to look at dresses for the dance tomorrow night in Port Angeles. Do you mind if I go with them?"

"Jessica Stanley?"

"And Angela Webber."

"Yeah, okay. 'S fine with me. It's a school night though."

"We'll leave right after school so we can get back early. You'll be okay for dinner though, right?"

"Bells, I fed myself for seventeen years before you got here," he reminded me.

"I don't know how," I said, grinning at Mike who returned the smile.

…

I said goodnight to Mike at the door at the end of the night, though I refrained from giving him a kiss under Charlie's trying-not-to-be-obvious-but-totally-obvious watchful gaze. I went to bed with a light flutter in my stomach going over my make out session with Mike earlier that afternoon and it took a while for my brain to quiet down enough to sleep. That night, I dreamt fitfully of sunlight and stolen kisses in the grass.

* * *

Hey! I want to thank everyone for their support and I'm glad you are enjoying my story! It really warms my little heart. :) Let me know what you think of this chapter (cause you all know I love your responses!). Merry Christmas! :D


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 **Author's note:** Sorry for the wait! I was busy with Christmas and New Year's (Happy New Year, btw) and then I was stuck on how exactly I wanted this chapter to play out. I'm glad I finally just sat down and hashed it out because I like where it went.

Any who… Enjoy!

* * *

The sun was shining again the next day and I awoke feeling exhilarated. I dressed for warmer weather donning a deep blue V-neck blouse—something I usually wore in the dead of winter back in Arizona.

The school day was pretty much the same as the previous day. Coach Clapp hadn't finished going over the finer aspects of Badminton the day before so we still hadn't started that particular form of torture yet. The Cullens were still out of school much to my disappointment. It had been so long since I had seen Edward I was starting to feel more and more foolish about what I had thought about him the other day.

The Port Angeles trip was on for that afternoon and it was made all the more attractive by the fact that Lauren had decided not to go. Jessica followed me home in her old white Mercury after school so I could ditch my books and truck. I quickly ran a brush through my hair when I was inside, tossed my wallet in a purse I rarely used and ran out to join Jessica. We drove over to Angela's house where she was waiting for us and made our way out of town limits.

We made it to Port Angeles by four. As Jessica drove along the highway, we sang along to pop songs on the radio and talked about boys and movies. It was such a catharsis to finally have a girl's night out. It had been too long since I had one. Jessica was, of course, very excited about her upcoming date to the dance with Joseph but Angela didn't seem as enthusiastic about hers with Eric. She was happy to be going to the dance but it was obvious to Jessica and me that she would have preferred to go with someone else. Her cheeks blushed rosy pink when Jessica peppered her with questions, trying to get her to confess who. I changed the subject to which shops we were going to and Angela gave me a grateful glance.

There weren't too many places to shop for dresses in the tourist trap of a town. More places than Forks, to be sure, but nowhere near the kind of shopping atmosphere I was used to in Phoenix. We headed straight for the biggest department store there was. The dance was billed as semiformal and we weren't exactly sure what it meant. Both Jessica and Angela were surprised when I told them I had never been to a school dance before.

"Why not?" Jessica asked when we walked through the doors.

"You guys have never seen me in gym… it's not a pretty picture. I'm not very coordinated and I can't really dance."

"Didn't you ever go with a boyfriend or something?"

"There's never been a guy I was willing to embarrass myself in front of," I said with a laugh.

"And what makes Mike Newton so special?" Angela teased.

"Well for starters, he _has_ seen me in gym and he likes me anyway." We all laughed. We had reached the juniors dress department.

"So you and Mike, huh?" Jessica eyed me while we scanned the racks. I blushed. "I heard you guys kissed the other day," she fished.

"Yes… and well, yesterday he came over to work on the Macbeth paper for English and he asked me to be his girlfriend." Jessica squealed in excitement while I blushed an even darker shade of red.

"Oh my God, Bella, that's so great!"

"How exciting!" Angela enthused.

"Tyler is going to be so disappointed," Jessica said.

"What do you mean?" I asked her while flipping through some sequined numbers.

"Well, he told everyone he was going to take you to prom," she replied giving me a suspicious look.

"He _what?!_ " I choked, turning to her.

"I told you it wasn't true," Angela murmured to Jessica.

"So it isn't true?"

"Of course not! Mike and I…. I… he told everyone?" I stammered.

"Yeah," Jessica was laughing now.

"Everyone but me!" I exclaimed, exasperated. The girls laughed.

"Why would he say that?" Angela mused while I fumed.

"After the accident he kept saying he wanted to make it up to me," I said, annoyed. Angela nodded, understanding.

"That's why Lauren doesn't like you," Jessica giggled. I gave her a disgruntled look in return.

"She likes Tyler," I concluded. "Well, she can have him! I certainly don't want him. Is that why she didn't come today? She seriously doesn't like me because of a _boy?_ " I felt a little stung. _What a petty bitch_. Jessica gave me a look that said something like 'don't shoot the messenger.' "Do you think if I ran him over with my truck he'd stop feeling guilty and trying to make amends?" I grouched.

"Don't be mad," Angela soothed. "I'm sure you guys can straighten everything out." I gave her an appreciative smile.

The dress selection wasn't huge, but we each found a couple of things to try on. Jessica settled on an electric blue knee length dress with spaghetti straps. Angela chose a pale pink chiffon dress that draped her frame nicely. I was torn between a few dresses in muted tones, but the girls talked me into a flirty red chiffon dress. It had a V-neck, flutter sleeves, was cinched at the waist, and fell just above the knee. It was a beautiful dress and I felt so feminine in it that, in the end, I was glad they talked me into it.

We headed over to shoes and accessories next. I tried to resist buying a new pair of shoes when I had a pair of flats at home that would go just fine with the dress but Jessica insisted I wear something with a heel.

"Are you crazy? I'd break an ankle in those!" I exclaimed in horror when she showed me a satin red pump with a four inch heel. "I'm going to have a hard enough time not falling over as it is."

"Well I need all the height I can get," Jessica said inspecting the same pair in blue. "Did you know Joseph is six foot two? I'm barely five feet!"

"At least try a kitten heel!" Angela bounced up to me with a pair of strappy sandals with a one inch heel on them.

"I guess…" I said warily.

In the end, I bought them along with the dress and a matching clutch purse. Our wallets considerably lighter, we all headed back to Jessica's car to divest ourselves of our purchases. We planned to go to dinner at a little Italian place on the board walk but the shopping hadn't taken as much time as we thought it would and it was still a little too early to eat. Jess and Angela wanted to walk down to the bay, but I really wanted to look for a bookstore. We all agreed to meet at the restaurant in an hour and we parted ways after Jessica pointed me in the direction she thought the closest bookstore might be.

I had no trouble finding it, but it didn't seem like the kind of bookstore I was looking for—one with leather bindings, comfy chairs, and smelled of old parchment and ink. This one had crystals and dream catchers hanging in the windows. I could see a woman with long gray hair smiling invitingly through them. I shrugged and decided to go in.

It smelled heavily of incense and the lighting was dim. There were candles and boxes of incense on the shelves, bins full of incense powders you could bag yourself, figurines of dragons and faeries, bins filled with rocks and crystals of every color, a shelf filled with oils and fragrances, more dream catchers, and tarot cards and Ouija boards. On a small glass covered display three crystal balls sat on a velvet cushion. I gazed at the shelves of books and discovered they were all mostly spiritual in origin. _Definitely not what I'm looking for_.

"Can I help you find anything, dear?" the woman behind the counter called out to me in a misty kind of voice.

"Uh, no thanks," I muttered to her, embarrassed. I did not belong in a place like this.

I made my way to the door but since she seemed nice enough, I stopped and asked the shop keeper if she knew of any other book stores in the area. She gave me some vague directions of a bookstore/café that was in the downtown area. I thanked her and left the store hopeful that I'd find my way there and back within the hour.

I headed in the direction she pointed and walked along in peaceful quiet just taking in the afternoon sun and thought about the dance. The girls said Mike would flip when he saw me in my dress. I thought again about yesterday afternoon on the grass with Mike and my cheeks grew hot. _He is such a good kisser_ , I found myself thinking. I remembered the feeling of his hand pressed firmly into the small of my back pulling me tight and the throaty groan he let out when I ground against his body. I felt a pang of desire flood my body and a fluttering in my stomach. I had to hide my face for a moment for fear a passerby might be able to read my thoughts.

I looked at my surroundings to distract my hormonal teenage brain. Though I seemed to be in the heart of the downtown shopping area, I didn't see a bookstore anywhere. How long had I been walking? Should I give up and just head back to the restaurant? The light seemed to be fading and the heavy afternoon traffic had let up and now only a few cars remained on the street, bustling along. _They_ knew where they were going, I thought resentfully.

With a sigh, I decided to give up my quest of finding a decent bookstore and turned on my heel to head back the way I had come. I should have known a fancy move like that was going to cost me. My clumsy feet had no problem reminding me of what horrendous coordination they had when I lost my footing on the curb and I found myself falling into the street… right into the path of an oncoming car. I let out a yelp of surprise and winced at the sound of screeching tires. My hands broke my fall and I felt their heels skin as they raked across the rough black top of the street. I winced in pain and expectation of the car colliding with my prone body on the ground. However, when I wasn't smeared across the street by a two ton vehicle, I looked up to find the car had stopped a good six inches from my face.

I heard people shout in surprise and I looked around to see many concerned faces. Embarrassed and relieved I survived, I peeled myself off the ground and I heard the driver of the car open their door.

"Oh my God, Bella!?" an all too familiar voice exclaimed. _No fucking way._

Wide eyed, I turned and saw none other than Edward fucking Cullen running around the hood of his stupid shiny Volvo toward me. My brain promptly had a bout of flatulence.

"E-Edward? What… how…?" I sputtered. _How was he here right now? Did he really almost run me over with his car? What the fuck? I've gone insane. There was only so much my poor little brain could take. It's jumped the shark. It's flown the coop. I have officially lost my mind._

"Bella, are you okay?" Edward said concerned. I'm not sure what my face betrayed but it must not have been a pretty sight because he placed his hands on my shoulders and exclaimed, "You're in shock!" He led me back onto the sidewalk and I could feel people's eyes on me. There was a small queue of cars forming behind Edward's in the street.

"Bella, can you hear me? Are you alright?" He was asking me. I tried to organize my thoughts.

"I'm okay," I said finally. "I'm okay." I looked him in the eyes. They were liquid gold again today. My mind threatened to go overboard with thoughts again ( _that was one of the signs that he was different that he was a vampire oh my god what is he doing here he almost ran me over holy shit_ ).

I decided to turn my attention on myself in an effort to focus. My legs felt like Jell-O and my hands stung. I looked at the heels of my hands and let out a hiss. The skin was torn up and they had started to bleed. Edward gasped and was suddenly no longer by my side. I looked up to see him several steps away from me with the same dark, hateful glare he had on his face the first day I met him in Biology. Suddenly everything clicked into place.

"Oh my God, it's true," I gasped, the dawn of realization spreading across my face as quickly as the blood drained from it. "Oh my God," I said again, eyes wide and staring. Edward quickly composed himself when a car stuck behind Edward's Volvo honked. He looked away from me to the street for the first time since almost running me over and noticed the line of cars.

"Bella, I have to move my car…" he said, torn. I could tell he didn't want to leave me alone in my state but needed to go. "I'm going to park my car. Stay here, alright?" he said as though worried I might fall to pieces once out of his line of sight. He abruptly turned and got into his car and made a right at the next intersection.

 _Holy shit. Holy shit_. I was having a hard time catching my breath. Edward was a fucking vampire. He just reacted at the sight of my blood… he gave me that look again; that long forgotten look. The look like he wanted to tear my face off ( _and drink my blood_ , a small part of my brain finished). _Oh my God. Oh my God!_ I was reeling.

"Miss, are you okay?" a middle aged woman with a concerned expression was asking me. "Should I call for an ambulance?" I mentally shook my head again and focused on her.

"I'm okay, I—"

"You look so pale, like you're going to faint."

"I'm fine, I—really, I'm okay," I said shakily, forcing myself not to come undone at the seams. I gave her a wavering smile. "I just scraped my hands a little. I'm totally fine," I managed with more confidence. The woman appraised me and seemed a little comforted at my new expression of artificial composure.

"Okay," she said warily. "If you're sure."

"I'm sure. Thank you," I said convincingly.

"You're very lucky the driver stopped in time."

"I know. Thank goodness." I let out a shaky laugh.

"Okay," she said, now at ease. "Be careful," she continued before walking away.

I did my best to maintain my composure while I waited for Edward to return. _Wait, why am I waiting? Edward's a fucking vampire! Why am I waiting for him to come back and drink my frickin' blood?_ I thought frantically.

 _No_ , my logical brain stepped in, _remember what we talked about on Sunday? In the woods? And with Jacob? Edward and his family are not the same as other vampires—the ones that hunt humans and drink their blood. The Cullens hunt animals, Jacob said. And he's good in the sense that he saved your life even though he didn't have to._

 _But that look_ , the fearful side of me protested. _That look he gave me again said otherwise. It said I want to eat you. It said I have a monster lurking inside me. It said you should be afraid._

I looked down at my roughened hands. The bleeding had stopped. The platelets in the blood that had come to the surface had coagulated to form a clot. They had already begun the reparative process and would soon form a scab. I sighed. Edward had not attacked at the sight of my blood.

 _Yeah, because there were witnesses_ , my cynical side scoffed.

 _And because he's my friend_ , I countered. _He and his family live among people and go every day without eating them. Why should I be afraid?_ The less-positive side of me kept quiet. _That's right. I don't really need to be afraid of Edward. The average vampire? Sure, absolutely. Edward and the other Cullens? No, definitely not._

I let out a gust of air, resolute again. _It's okay_ , I told myself. _There's no reason to be afraid. It's okay. I'm okay. Everything is okay_. I glanced around. Everything seemed to be back to normal. People went about their merry way, shopping and chatting happily. Cars passed by going here to there. The world was just the same as it always was… except now I knew vampires were real. Everything looked the same but things were never really going to be the same, I thought resentfully.

I saw Edward round the corner and approach me slowly; cautiously, I thought. Whether for his sake or my own, I wasn't sure.

"Hey," I said to him when he finally stopped a few feet from me, his expression guarded.

"Hey. Sorry, I had to move my car. I parked around the corner," he explained. He wouldn't meet my eye.

"Oh, okay," I said quietly.

"So, can I give you a ride somewhere? It's getting late," he said suddenly. I looked around. The sun had long since set and the street lights were on. Yikes, it was late.

"Crap, I was supposed to meet Jessica and Angela for dinner. I hope they're not worried." I glanced around. I wasn't sure how to make it back to the Italian place we agreed on earlier.

"Let me give you a ride. Where were you supposed to meet them?"

"La Bella Italia, I think. It's by—"

"I know the place," he interrupted. "Follow me," he said and turned back the way he had come. I followed behind him.

"So, what are you doing here?" I asked wondering at the insane coincidence that it was his car that had almost run me over.

"Hmm? Oh, I was, uh, shopping nearby," he said hastily. It sounded like a lie but why would he lie about that?

"When did you and your family get back from camping?"

We rounded the corner and came to his car. Edward held the passenger side door open for me.

"Just this afternoon," he replied as I got into the Volvo. "Fasten your seat belt," he reminded me when he sat down in the driver's seat. "Safety first," he said with a smile that didn't quite reach his golden eyes. I looked at him despairingly and returned a half-hearted smile. "I'm sorry," he smirked. "But you have the worst luck. I don't think I've ever met anyone as accident prone as you, Bella," he continued as he pulled his car onto the main street. I couldn't argue with him so I sat in silence as he navigated the streets with ease.

We pulled up to La Bella Italia and parked beside Jessica's car. She and Angela were pacing in front of the restaurant. They looked worried.

"What time is it?" I asked Edward while undoing my seat belt.

"A quarter to seven," he replied, getting out. I watched him move with unimaginable grace around the nose of the car to open the passenger door for me.

"Wow, it's a lot later than I thought. Thanks for the ride, I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it," he said warmly. "We better head over there or your friends are going to set out to look for you." He gestured toward Jessica and Angela. We walked over to them side by side in silence.

"Hey guys!" I hollered to the girls as we approached them. The look of relief on their faces was almost immediately replaced with a look of shock when they saw my companion. Jessica's jaw practically hit the floor. I had to stifle a giggle.

"Bella! There you are!" Angela said, relieved. "We were really starting to get worried."

"Where have you been? _What_ have you been up to?" Jess asked suggestively, raising an eyebrow. She gave Edward an appraising look.

"I got lost," I said, embarrassed. "Then I ran into Edward who gave me a ride back to the restaurant."

"Or I almost ran into her, you might say," Edward said with light humor in his tone and a smirk on his lips. Jess and Angela's eyes widened at the sound of his voice and you could practically hear their heart rates increasing at the sight of Edward's handsome smile. I had to fight back another urge to laugh. I must be immune to Edward's dazzle by now.

"Allow me to explain over dinner. That is, if you ladies don't mind if I join you?" he continued in response to the quizzical look Angela was throwing my way.

"Er… sure," Jessica huffed, her eyes glazed.

"Actually Bella, we ate while we were waiting for you—sorry," Angela confessed elbowing Jessica in the ribs, breaking her spell.

"Oh, that's okay, I'm not really hungry," I shrugged.

"I think you should eat something," Edward protested. "I could drive Bella home afterwards if you don't want to wait," he said turning back to Jessica who blushed furiously.

"Uh, no problem, I guess," she said looking to me for confirmation that that was what I wanted.

"I guess I am a little hungry," I said with a smile.

"Okay," she replied. "Want to come get your things from my car?"

"Yeah, sure," I said and turned to Edward. "I'll be right back. Why don't you get us a table?"

Jessica snatched my hand and pulled me over to her car with Angela in tow.

"Oh. My. God. Bella, tell me everything!" she said in a hushed tone.

On the short walk over to Jessica's car, I told them about how I had gotten lost when I had gone to search for a bookstore after the first one I went to wasn't what I was looking for and how I had tripped and fallen into the street where I was almost hit by none other than Edward Cullen's car.

"And so, what, now you're going to have dinner with him? Is this a date? What about Mike?" Jessica peppered me with questions. She opened the trunk of her car and I grabbed my bags.

"It's not a date," I said ( _perish the thought_ ). "We're just going to eat as friends. No big deal. Plus, you know he's been out of school the last few days, he might need me to fill him in on what we've been doing in Bio." I looked at Angela for back up and she nodded her head in support.

"Yeah, absolutely," she smiled. Jessica eyed me suspiciously.

"Okay," she said slowly. "But give me a call as soon as you get home and tell me all about it!"

"Of course. Scouts honor," I promised.

I gave them one last wave as they pulled out of the parking lot before turning back to the restaurant. The inside was lovely. The decor was all deep, rich wood paired with warm reds and the lighting was romantically low. Every table had a glowing votive candle set in the middle of it while mandolins strummed through the overhead speakers. The hostess gave me a kind smile when I approached her and asked to be seated with my dining companion. She led me over to a booth tucked into the corner a secluded looking section of the dining room where Edward was sitting and I gave him a smile before sitting down.

"Your server will be with you in a moment," the hostess said while handing us menus. I gave her a smile too.

"So…" I said when we were alone. "What looks good?" I looked through the menu trying to calm my nerves and soothe my thoughts. "Hmmm… I can't decide. What are you getting?" I peeked over at him from behind my menu.

"Oh, I'm not hungry," he said airily. "I had a pretty big meal this morning." He chuckled to himself. While I wondered what the hell that could possibly mean ( _what did he eat?_ ), our server came up to the table.

"Hello, my name is Amber and I'll be your server. What can I get you to drink?" I didn't miss that she was speaking exclusively to Edward.

He looked at me.

"Uh, Coke?" I said.

"Two Cokes," he told Amber.

"I'll be right back with those," she said with a generous smile. Edward didn't notice; his eyes were on me.

"What?" I asked when she left.

"How are you feeling? Dizzy? Sick?"

"No, should I?"

He chuckled at my puzzled tone.

"I was sure you had gone into shock after you fell into the street. You were white as a sheet and speaking incoherently." His face twisted up into a perfect crooked smile.

"Oh, that was just, uh, the adrenaline. You know, fight or flight and all that." I brushed off his concern. It wasn't almost being run over that have given me such a fright—it was him.

"Just the same, I'll feel better once you've eaten something."

Right on cue, Amber reappeared with the drinks and a basket of breadsticks in hand. She stood with her back to me as she placed them on the table.

"Were you ready to order?" She asked Edward.

"Bella?" he asked me. The server shifted in my direction.

"I guess I'll have the mushroom ravioli," I said to the side of her face, as it seemed she only had eyes for Edward.

"And for you?" she said to him with a smile.

"Nothing for me, thanks," he told her handing over the menus.

"Let me know if you change your mind." She gave him another lurid smile. _Who the hell was this girl?_ When he didn't return it, she left dissatisfied.

A silence settled over the table. I sipped at my soda and nibbled on a breadstick just to give myself something to do. _Do I broach the subject of him being a vampire? Do I pretend he's just a normal guy?_

"What are you thinking?" Edward asked suddenly. His eyes were on mine and they burned with curiosity.

"Whu- uh, nothing. Did you have a good time camping? You know my dad says there are bears in the Goat Rocks place you mentioned."

"Oh?" he asked, unfazed.

"Yeah. He also said that people go there to hunt them… and that it _isn't_ hunting season." I said with a playful smile.

"Is that so?" he smirked.

"You guys aren't illegal poachers, are you?" I whispered leaning toward him over the table. Edward gave an exaggerated gasp.

"We wouldn't dream of it," he replied airily. I laughed and he joined me. Our intermingled laughter was a pleasant sound. "Really, though, we camp all over. We were only there at Goat Rocks Wilderness for one night and then we moved onto another site. We didn't see a single bear." I sipped my soda again and gave a nod. "So, your dad is Chief Swan. We haven't talked about him yet."

"We haven't talked about your siblings yet either," I said remembering how deftly he had changed the subject last time the other Cullen kids were brought up.

"Me first," he smiled teasingly.

"Fine," I conceded. "What do you want to know?"

"What's he like?"

"Charlie? Charlie's great. He's solid… and steady. He doesn't like change. I mean, he was overjoyed when I asked if I could live with him until I finished high school, but he hasn't changed his routine once since I moved in. I mean, other than letting me cook his dinner every night," I laughed.

"You cook?" Edward asked, his eyes alight.

"Nothing special. A lot of comfort food mostly, but lately Charlie has been bringing home his fishing trophies and I'm running out of ways to cook fish," I said with another laugh.

"So, Charlie likes to fish?"

"Yeah, it's part of his unwavering routine. He goes fishing every weekend… and when he comes home from work he always watches whatever game is on. He still takes his gun belt off as soon as he gets home just like he did when I was little."

"Sounds like a guy who knows what he wants out of life," Edward mused.

"Yeah, I guess. But when he and Renee were young, man, she shook up his routine, that's for sure." I smiled at the thought of young Charlie and Renee. "He swept her off her feet and in a fit of romantic spontaneity, they got married and had me pretty much right away." Edward gave me a warm smile. "When she left, I think it ruined spontaneity for Charlie. I think it destroyed the part of him that wants to sweep someone off their feet. He instead put his faith into things that would never disappoint him; never hurt him: a weekly fishing trip, a game on TV every night…" I drifted off saddened by what my mother's leaving did to my dad. "He's content, but I don't know that he's really happy."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Edward said softly, catching my gaze. There was such warmth there, his eyes smoldering like pools of molten gold. I could feel the compassion shining through those eyes. I let out a comfortable sigh and looked away.

"What?" he asked softly.

"Nothing. It's just… I feel very safe with you," I confessed. He seemed displeased. His brow furrowed and he shook his head, frowning.

"This is more complicated than I'd planned," he murmured to himself.

"Sorry?" I asked, but before he could respond, Amber came into view with the mushroom ravioli. She set the dish in the front of me and turned back to Edward.

"Have you changed your mind?" she asked him. "Isn't there _anything_ I can get you?" she asked seductively. _What is this, some low budget porno? Jeez!_

"No, thank you," he said politely not meeting her gaze.

"Okay, let me know," she said before sauntering off, swaying her hips a little too much. _Oh, brother._

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention to my plate. I stabbed a ravioli with my fork and popped it into my mouth. Silence settled between us again and I wanted to ask him about his siblings, but the ravioli was really good and once I started eating, I couldn't seem to stop. I must have been hungrier than I realized.

"So," Edward said breaking the silence. "What did you mean before when you said, 'It's true'?" He was trying to sound nonchalant. I froze mid-chomp.

I was suddenly nervous and didn't know what to say. Do I tell him I know? Would he be angry if he knew that I knew? I hastily swallowed a half chewed ravioli and I almost choked. I had to gulp down a few swigs of Coke before I could speak. I cleared my throat.

"Huh? What, now?" I feigned innocence while I collected my thoughts.

"Before, after you fell in the street, you said, 'Oh my God, it's true.' What did you mean by that?"

"I just uh, you know…" I wracked my brain and came up empty. I didn't know how to even begin to start this conversation. I opted out. "I'm full, let's leave," I said hurriedly and looked around for our slutty server, avoiding Edward's gaze.

"Bella, what's wrong?" he asked, confused.

"Nothing, I just think it's getting late and it's time to go. Amber? Amber!" Edward continued to look perplexed as Amber's head popped out from behind the nearby partition.

"Did you need something?" She asked in a saccharine tone.

"Just the check, thanks," I said hastily. She gave me a wry smile and placed a small leather folder on the table. I opened my purse to grab my wallet but Edward wouldn't hear of it. He placed a bill inside the folder and handed it back to Amber.

"No change," he smiled and got to his feet. I scrambled to mine.

"You have a nice evening," she smiled invitingly at him again. He thanked her quietly while I led the way out of the restaurant.

"What's the rush?" Edward asked when we'd reached the car. _What_ _ **was**_ _the rush? I only have a 45 minute car ride to look forward to now. How am I going to avoid his question? Crap. I hadn't thought this through_.

Edward held the door open for me like a gentleman and I climbed into the passenger seat, scouring my brain for avoidance strategies.

"I'm sorry, I'm just concerned about the time. Charlie didn't want me out too late since it's a school night," I fibbed as he settled into the driver's seat. I mean, it was true, but it's not why I was acting like a crazy person.

We pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street in silence. Maybe my antics had made him forget what he asked me in the restaurant.

"So you never did answer my question," he said then, looking at me from the corner of his eyes. _Shit._ I grasped at straws trying to avoid the question. I remembered the obvious lie he had told earlier when I asked him what he was doing in Port Angeles. _Let's go with that._

"Let me answer your question with another question."

He smirked.

"Okay."

"What were you really doing in Port Angeles today?"

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What do you mean? I was shopping."

"For what?" I fired back quickly.

"For… for…" he stuttered.

"If you're going to lie, at least do it quickly," I pestered.

"What does it matter what I was shopping for!?" he said in an outburst.

"Well, then, what does it matter what I meant on the street earlier?" I said coolly. The car fell into a tense silence as Edward made his way to the highway.

"Fine," he finally said with a sigh. "I wasn't really shopping today," he conceded.

"What were you really doing?" I asked, looking over at him. He kept his eyes determinedly on the road.

"I was hoping to bump into you today. I didn't mean for it be quiet so literal," he smiled ruefully. "…but I missed you… and I wanted to see you," he said quietly. I felt very flattered at the idea that this beautiful man-god missed little ol' me… but then I realized something.

"Edward," I said, guarded. "How did you know I would be in Port Angeles?"

His face looked stricken and he wouldn't look at me.

"Edward," I said, more forcefully. "How did you know where to find me?"

* * *

Thanks again for reading! Hopefully the next chapter will be done in a more punctual manner.

Please leave a comment and let me know what you think! You know I love to hear from you guys! :)


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

* * *

Edward hadn't said a word for a tense sixty seconds. My unblinking stare bored into the side of his head with the intensity of a thousand burning suns.

"Edward," I said sternly again.

He looked at me then and I had to gasp. There was such agonizing turmoil written on his face. He looked as though a thunderstorm were raging through his mind.

"Edward, you can tell me. It's okay," I said softly.

"No. No it's not. This whole thing was a huge mistake," he snarled. "I don't know why I thought this would work. I'm so goddamned selfish!" he shouted. I shrank back in my seat at his outburst. His breathing slowed as he worked himself down. "I'm sorry, Bella. I hoped this would work, but I don't see how it can."

"What do you mean?" I asked in a small voice.

"We can't be friends. I can't keep doing this… to you—to myself." We drove along in silence for a moment while my own inner torment stormed inside of me. I had to tell him what I knew. It was now or never.

"Edward, it's okay," I said quietly. He met my gaze with such sadness in his eyes.

"Okay," he said, deflated and hurt. Rejection spread across his features before he turned his forlorn eyes back to the road. He must have thought I meant it was okay that we weren't friends.

"No, no. Let me finish." I steeled myself. "I know." He looked back to me confused.

"What do you mean?"

"I know… what you are." His eyes widened for a fraction of a second before composing himself and looking away, his face set in stone.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said tersely.

"I _know_ , Edward." It came out almost as a plea; like a prayer that he would trust me enough to finally let his guard down. He didn't respond. He just stared ahead.

"You don't know anything. What could you possibly _know_?" he said coldly.

"I know it was you who saved me from that crash," I said defiantly. He said nothing but I noticed his hands tighten on the steering wheel. "I know you moved with incredible speed and have unbelievable strength," I continued. "I know you saved my life that day." I maintained my steady gaze at his face willing him to look back at me.

Edward swallowed hard and at last looked at me, his expression wary.

"And based on that you think you know what I am?"

"No. When I was down at First Beach in La Push," I said, my tone less urgent. "I spoke with an old family friend Jacob Black. His dad and Charlie have been friends since I was a baby." Edward looked confused. "His dad is one of the Quileute elders. He told me some old legends—trying to scare me…"

"Go on," he said stiffly.

"Legends about vampires." It came out almost a whisper.

Edward held his breath, his jaw tensed, and his expression steely.

"And you immediately thought of me?" he said with a deadly calm.

"No, he mentioned your family." Edward was silent while he stared at the road. "He just thought it was silly superstition," I continued suddenly wanting to protect Jacob in case my confession were to get him into trouble. "He didn't expect me to think anything of it, but after seeing what you could do…" I looked away from him and out the window. I watched the trees whizzing by. _He must be going really fast_ , I thought. _Jeez_.

"I still didn't believe you were a _vampire_ ," I continued when he didn't say anything. "I mean, it didn't really fit... I knew you were _something_ but I wasn't entirely convinced. I thought I was going crazy; like, actually losing my mind.

"But then," I noticed Edward look over to me from the corner of my eye. "…when I scraped my hands and they started to bleed... your reaction to my blood confirmed my suspicions." I looked back into Edward's eyes and held his gaze in the darkness of the car. His expression was pained.

"I was wrong. It seems you know something after all," he said in a mirthless tone and then fell silent again.

"Don't be upset," I said emphatically. "It's okay, really."

"How can you possibly say that!? It's not okay! I'm a monster! A _monster_ , Bella, don't you get that!?" he shouted, avoiding my eyes.

"No, you're not!" I shouted back. "Would a monster save someone's life even when he didn't have to? Even when it put him at risk of exposure? You're no monster, Edward Cullen. You happen to be my savior."

He looked at me then with another agonizing gaze.

"You don't understand," he said, defeated. "Everything I have done was for selfish reasons. I should not be here with you now, alone. I should not have risked my family's secrecy to save your life. I should not care for you as much as I do…" he moaned more to himself than to me.

"Well, _sor-ry!_ " I exclaimed, angry and hurt at his words. "I didn't realize you regretted saving my life so fucking much. I apologize for my life being _so_ inconvenient to you."

"That's not what I meant." His tone was softer now though the pain in his eyes remained. "I shouldn't be near you because I am dangerous, especially around you. I crave your company because I am a selfish bastard who cares more about my happiness than your safety; more than my family's secrecy."

I then understood the pain in his eyes. He sounded truly ashamed of himself.

"What do you mean you're dangerous? Jacob said you and your family didn't… _hunt_ … people—that you hunted animals."

Edward let out a harsh, hateful laugh.

" _Hunt_. That's a delicate, _human_ way to put it. Vampires kill humans, Bella. We drink their blood to sustain our cursed lives," he spat with malice.

"But Jacob said—"

"Jacob was correct. My family drinks the blood of animals instead of that of humans. We are unusual in that way and for the fact that we have compassion and place value on human life. It's why we want to and can live among them," he explained. "But that doesn't mean the desire—the burning thirst—is not still there." His tone was saturated with self-loathing. "And your blood in particular…" he took a deep breath, inhaling through his nose. "Sings more for me than any other I have ever smelled in my long existence."

I stared at him, wide eyed, my heart thumping loudly in my chest betraying my fear.

"So you see, Bella, I _am_ dangerous. I am a constant menace intent on tempting myself every moment I am near you, endangering your life," he said quietly. I swallowed hard.

"Then why…"

"Why do I do it?" he said in a snide tone. "Because… I can't be away from you. I tried. The week I was gone after your first day of school I went to stay with some family friends in Alaska with the intention of never coming back. I couldn't risk killing you and putting my family in danger. But I couldn't stay away. You had me so curious that I had to get to know you… and once I had, I knew I'd never be able to leave."

I sat in stunned silence for a moment processing all that he had told me. _Every moment we sit together in this car he wants to kill me? He almost killed me on my first day of school? Was_ _ **that**_ _what the hateful glare he gave me was? An intense desire to drain me of my life's blood?_ I was in way over my head.

"I'm so sorry Bella," he said after I hadn't said anything. "I'll never forgive myself for putting you in harm's way again and again."

"Why _haven't_ you killed me?" I asked suddenly. Edward gave me a confused look. "I mean, if my blood is super tantalizing to you, how can you stand to be around me?"

"I forced myself to become accustomed to your scent. It is still the most mouthwatering scent I've ever smelled, but I am becoming immune to its siren call—used to the burn in my throat," he explained.

"But why? Why put yourself through constant physical pain just to be my friend?"

"I don't know," he replied quietly. "I just know it hurts much worse to be away from you."

"What do you mean by that?"

Edward was quiet for a moment—thoughtful.

"Before you came to Forks," he said. "My existence was dull. I mean, I had my distractions: my music, my family, my schooling. And not just high school, mind you, _God_ no, I mean the degrees I worked on in various disciplines: medicine, law, philosophy and the like. And yet, despite my best efforts to keep myself occupied during this endless life of mine, I found it dull… monotonous. It became a chore to simply pass the minutes. And then you came to Forks and you turned my world upside down.

"Vampires are very much like marble—hard and unchanging. But when something—or someone—comes along and takes a chip from the smooth surface, the change is permanent and everlasting. That is how I felt about you when I tried to leave. You bathed my dull gray world in vibrant color. I had to come back. I had to get to know you. I need you in my life."

The way he spoke about me concerned me. We hardly knew each other. Why was it so hard for him not to be my friend when we've had a total of, what, three meaningful conversations? Had he gotten more out of them than I had? Did he… want to be _more_ than friends?

"What are you thinking?" he asked quietly in the darkness.

How do I handle _this_? I had come to terms with having a vampire as a friend, but I had never considered how to cope with having a vampire _admirer_. How do you turn down a vampire _?_ I chewed my lip while I wracked my brain.

"Edward…" I started cautiously. I needed to let him down gently. "Maybe you're right. Maybe it's not such a good idea for us to be friends."

Understanding dawned on Edward's face and it crumpled into a heartbroken heap.

"Of course. You're right. I've endangered your life enough," he said in a defeated tone, turning his crestfallen face back to the road.

"No, no, it's not that," I said quickly. "I'm not afraid you're going to kill me or anything. I mean, I trust you enough not to do that."

"How can you say that?" He demanded, incredulous. "I put you in danger every second I am near you. I am despicable."

"You've had ample opportunity to kill me. You even had the perfect chance to just let me be squished by a car… twice!" I explained. "And yet you haven't and you didn't. I trust you and your iron clad willpower."

"But you don't know—"

"I _do_ know, though," I cut him off, "that being around me causes you pain. You said it yourself." He looked at me with sadness in his eyes. "And I can't do that to you. I can't justify hurting you every second I am with you just because we're friends."

"It's my burden to bear," Edward said stiffly. "It isn't something you should be concerned with."

"Well, which is it, Edward?" I demanded. "You're either too weak to resist the burning in your throat and I am in constant danger or it is something you can expertly handle and I shouldn't be concerned." I stared hard into his eyes.

I was getting off track; I just hated double standards. He was beating himself up too much as though he were damned if he did and damned if he didn't. He put far too much of the weight of the world on his shoulders and I wanted to ease some of the guilt he felt.

Edward sighed heavily.

"It isn't an either or situation. I'm a danger to you on all accounts. Your number was up the first time I met you," he said ominously. "Sometimes it feels like I'm fighting fate at every turn keeping you alive."

"But Edward you don't have to put yourself in that position. You don't have to torture yourself both physically and mentally. We don't _have_ to be friends," I said quietly.

He looked over at me with that forlorn look on his face again.

"I suppose that we don't," he replied quietly before turning back to the road again. He set his face in a neutral expression and grew quiet.

Guilt bit at my insides. I had hurt his feelings. What could I have said? What could I have done? He was speaking as though he wanted more than friendship from me and it wasn't something I could give… not something I would _want_ to give. He _is_ a _vampire_ , after all. A vampire who wants to drink my blood, especially. I mean, what could he have possibly been expecting from me? A lovely little romance between vampire and human? Predator and prey? Cat and mouse? Impossible!

And even if he weren't a vampire, I hardly knew the guy. He seemed nice enough, but I barely knew him. I chewed on my lip trying to rationalize away the guilt.

"I'm sorry, Edward. It's just… I get the feeling that you…" _Ugh_! I _so_ did not want to have this conversation with him, but I felt I had to properly explain myself. "…that you like me." I made a face. It sounded so lame. My cheeks burned hot with embarrassment. "Don't get me wrong, I like you too but just not… in that way. I mean, I have a boyfriend and—"

I was abruptly interrupted by the sound of Edward's laughter. I looked over at him incredulously. He had his head thrown back and was laughing with reckless abandon, joy dancing across his flawless features. The beautiful sound of it filled the cab like many pealing bells.

"Just what the fuck is so goddamned funny?" I demanded through his bellows, unexpectedly irritated. Was he laughing at me and my childish way of saying I did not have feelings for him? My cheeks burned even hotter while I waited impatiently for his melodic laughter to subside.

"I'm sorry," he said, fighting back another chuckle. "I just find your instincts and reactions so amusing. I'm always surprised by you."

"And just what is _that_ supposed to mean?" I asked indignantly.

"Instead of worrying about how dangerous having a vampire as a friend is, you worry that by being my friend you'll lead me on and hurt my feelings." He laughed again.

 _Yeah, so what!?_ I thought, disgruntled, and looking away from him. I already told him I trusted his will power enough not to devour me—what else was there to worry about if not his feelings?

"There's no need for you to be a jerk about it," I snapped. "I was only thinking of you."

"I know. I appreciate it and I'm sorry for laughing," he said. "But Bella, if you're worried about me jeopardizing your relationship with Mike, don't. I am perfectly capable of being your platonic friend. And, if given the choice of being just your friend or nothing at all, I will gladly and graciously chose your friendship… if that's alright with you."

I pondered this for a moment. If Edward chose to have his feelings unrequited then it removed the guilt from my shoulders.

"Okay," I said finally. "But only as long as it's what you choose. I don't want you torturing yourself because you think it might hurt my feelings or something if one day you decide it would be better if we weren't friends."

He smiled and returned his attention to the road again.

"I promise."

I sighed, relaxing a little. I hoped this would work, otherwise I'd have to put my foot down against a freaking vampire. I inwardly grimaced at the thought.

"Hey, how'd you know Mike was my boyfriend?" I asked looking back over to him. I marveled at how his whole demeanor had changed so completely during the short conversation we had. Where before he was cold, hard and despondent, he now seemed completely at ease and carefree. He looked over and met my analyzing gaze.

"Oh," he said and was silent. I raised my eyebrows and gave him a sassy look awaiting his answer. He took a deep breath. "Do you remember how I said before that most people were easy to read?" He didn't wait for me to answer, though I wondered where he was going with this. "Well, it's easy for me because I can read minds." He gave me a quick sideways glance. _Oh_.

"You… you can read minds? Can you read my mind? Are you reading my thoughts right now!?" I panicked.

"Actually, no. I have been able to read every mind I have ever came across except yours."

I sat in confused silence for a moment.

"Are you being serious or sarcastic right now? I'm not sure I can tell." Edward laughed.

"I'm serious. I don't know why. My only guess is that maybe your mind doesn't work the same way others' do. Like your thoughts are on the AM frequency and I only get FM." He grinned over at me, amused.

"Huh." I smiled back. It _was_ a little funny and I was relieved to know that my thoughts remained private.

"So, to answer your question," Edward continued, "I heard about it from you through Jessica's thoughts."

"Is that how you knew I was in Port Angeles?"

"Yes. I was keeping tabs on where you were because I was hoping to bump into you accidentally on purpose," he laughed. "But I let my mind wander to give your friends some privacy," he cleared his throat, suddenly uncomfortable, "in the, uh, fitting rooms." I raised an eyebrow at him. "You see, I not only can hear the thoughts that run through someone's mind but I can also see what they see when they concentrate on it. Their reflection in the mirror as they changed, for example," he said sheepishly.

I gave a small laugh. I found it quite amusing to see him embarrassed in this way.

"Anyway, it took me a moment to realize you weren't with Jessica and Angela when I tuned back in—that you had gone off on your own. So I went looking for you. I saw the bookstore Jessica told you about in her head and realized you'd moved on when I heard the shopkeeper's thoughts. She was excited two people had come in, a downright rush compared to what she was used to. She was actually getting worried she'd have to sell her shop soon if she didn't increase her sales," he rambled.

"Aw, how sad," I mused. Edward gave me a crooked smile in return.

"I went to the bookstore she mentioned to you, but I could tell you hadn't been there so I started driving around, listening and hoping someone might notice you. The sun had set and I was about to get out and try to find you on foot, but that's when I spotted you. You looked lost and frustrated. I was going to park close by and approach you on the street. I was actually trying to think of a good excuse when you tripped right in front of my car."

I sat quietly, amazed at the effort he had put into trying to find me. I found myself thinking that I honestly didn't understand what the fuss was about. We didn't even know each other that well. I looked over at him and he looked sheepish again.

"So can all of you do that? Read minds?" I asked him in the dark.

"No, just me… that I know of. We all have unique abilities. As if we needed to be better predators. As though our strength, speed and attractive façade weren't enough," he mumbled to himself. "Carlisle believes the tendencies or abilities we had in our human lives become amplified and perfected once we are changed," he explained. "I must have been highly perceptive in my former life for my ability to manifest into telepathy."

"What do you mean, 'must have'?"

Edward looked over at me.

"My human memories are muddy and are hard to recall. They get harder to remember as the years go by."

"How many years have you been a vampire?"

"Eighty."

 _Holy crap!_ My mouth dropped open.

"Wow," I said simply. "So you're like 97?" I laughed. "Where's your cane and suspenders? Your Coke-bottle glasses and hearing aids?" Edward rolled his eyes.

"I'm not 97, I'm 17," he snipped, annoyed.

"Maybe in body, but not in spirit. You can't fool me, grandpa!" I teased with another giggle. He surprised me by joining in my laughter.

"So, tell me something," I said after our fit of giggles subsided. "…and don't laugh."

"No promises," he said suppressing a smile.

"How can you come out during the day time?" Edward laughed anyway.

"Myth."

"Burned by the sun?"

"Myth."

"Sleeping in coffins?"

"Myth." He hesitated a moment before saying, "I can't sleep."

"At all?"

"Never," he said in a small voice.

"What do you do with all your time?" I asked. "Eighty years without sleep—you'd think the whole vampire race would have cured cancer or AIDS or something with all that free time." He chuckled a little.

"The whole vampire race doesn't care that much about the human race's well-being."

"Yeah, but your family does," I countered. "What's _your_ excuse?"

"We are who we were when we changed. I wasn't a _brain surgeon_ in my former life and Emmet certainly wasn't the head of _MENSA_ by any means. We all have our intellectual limitations." He seemed defensive.

"Oh, sorry," I replied lamely, biting my lip. I hadn't realized they weren't "cure cancer" smart; I just assumed they were since they all did so well in school. I was going to ask why Carlisle didn't do those things instead, since he was, in fact, a doctor but if felt accusatory.

"Why do you guys still go to high school? I would have thought you'd be way past that by now."

"The younger we claim to be when we move to a new place, the longer we can stay. We can't draw more attention to ourselves than necessary."

"Oh." I could see how it would be very hard not to draw attention to yourself looking the way the Cullens did.

I watched headlights whiz by at an alarming speed. _We must be going very fast_. I tried not to worry about it but I peeked at the dash board anyway. The speedometer read over 100 mph. _Holy shit_ , I blanched and swallowed hard while promptly looking away.

"So, were you guys hunting this weekend?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes." He paused for a second as if deciding whether or not to say something. "I didn't want to leave, but it was necessary. It's a bit easier to be around when you when I'm not thirsty." He smiled ruefully.

"Why didn't you want to leave?"

Edward sighed.

"We have some house guests—old friends of Jasper's. They don't… share our eating habits." He gave me a quick peek to read my expression. I swallowed hard and tried to keep it neutral. _Real vampires—the scary kind—were in town!?_ It felt like I might have been on the verge of a panic attack. "Even though they agreed not to hunt anywhere near town—Alice even assured me they weren't thirsty and that there wouldn't be any danger to you—I was very uncomfortable leaving the area with them around and leaving you unguarded. It was a tough three days."

"Three days? I thought you got back today?" I asked, trying to distract myself from my fear.

"I lied… sorry. We got back Sunday," he apologized.

"Why weren't you in school?"

"Well, you asked if the sun hurt me, and it doesn't, but I can't go out in the sunlight—at least not where anyone might see."

"Why not?"

"I'll show you sometime," he promised.

"Okay," I said simply. I wondered what the fuss was.

The car was slowing down as we passed into Forks town limits. The whole trip couldn't have taken more than twenty minutes.

"So are you coming to school tomorrow?"

"As long as the sun's not out. I have an English paper due tomorrow too, you know." He smiled. We rounded a corner and were suddenly parked outside my house.

"Well _that_ was fast. You drive like a maniac, you know that?" I said looking over at him. He smiled a handsome smirk in return.

"I hate to go slow. You wouldn't believe how frustrating it is to pretend to be human; to not move at my normal pace." I just shook my head in a mixture of amusement and awe.

"Well, thank you for dinner and the ride home," I said, putting my hand on the door handle. It felt lame to say something so mundane in spite of the huge revelations we had made in the car ride home.

"My pleasure," he said in his smooth, honey voice and gave me a smile. I reached around and grabbed my bags from the back seat of his car and opened the passenger door. The overhead light came on and flooded the cab with harsh light. I blinked, allowing reality to settle around me. The real world lay out there waiting for me to return to it; waiting for me to pretend nothing had changed; that vampires were still creatures of myth. I shuddered suddenly.

"Bella?" Edward asked in a different tone—serious but hesitant.

"Yeah?" I turned back to him.

"Don't go into the woods alone, okay?"

My thoughts went to the same place his were surely at; to his thirsty houseguests. I shivered again.

"Whatever you say."

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said with a smirk.

"Goodnight," I replied stepping out of his car and into the cold darkness of the real world.

…

"Hey Dad, I'm home!" I called out when I locked the door behind me.

"You're home kind of early," Charlie said stepping out of the living room. "It's not even nine yet."

"Well, it _is_ a school night," I reminded him with a smile.

"You have fun with the girls?" he asked eyeing my shopping bags.

"Yeah, it was lots of fun." My head was spinning as I tried to remember all the way back to the girls' night out I had planned. "We all found dresses. Want to see?" I reached for my bags and realized I left my jacket in Jessica's car. "Shoot, I forgot to grab my jacket," I complained. "I should go give Jessica a call." I made for the phone.

"Well give her a chance to get home," Charlie said with a laugh.

"Oh, right," I replied, blushing a little.

I made my way into the kitchen for a glass of water while Charlie wandered back into the living room to where I heard some game playing on the TV when suddenly the phone rang, making me jump. I yanked it off the hook.

"Hello?" I asked breathlessly.

"Bella?"

"Oh, hi Jess. I was just going to call you."

"You made it home?" Her voice was relieved and surprised.

"Yeah. Hey, I left my jacket in your car. Could you bring it for me tomorrow?"

"Sure. But tell me what happened!" she demanded.

"Um, tomorrow in Trig, okay?"

"Oh, is your dad there?"

"Yes," I lied quickly.

"Okay, I'll talk to you tomorrow, then. Bye!" I could hear the impatience in her voice.

"Bye, Jess."

…

I trudged up the stairs not much later, almost in a stupor with a weariness that snuck up on me. I went through the motions of getting ready for bed without thinking. It wasn't until I was in the shower with the water on too hot that I realized I was freezing. I shuddered violently for several minutes before the steaming water could finally relax my frigid muscles. Maybe I was finally going into shock like Edward worried I was going to.

I wrapped myself in a thick terrycloth robe, hugging myself tightly trying to keep the heat in and waddled back to my bedroom where I quickly got dressed and hopped into bed, huddling under my quilt. My mind swirled dizzily, full of the night's events. I tried to suppress them hoping sleep might find me and as I slowly drifted closer and closer to unconsciousness a few certainties became evident.

The first was that Edward Cullen was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him that seriously thirsted for my blood. And lastly, that he had a crush on me; _me_ , who, for all intents and purposes, should have been his prey. _What the fuck am I supposed to do with that?_ I wondered. _I am in some pretty deep shit._

* * *

Thanks so much for reading! Let me know what you think! :)


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

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 **Author's note:** Hello everyone! I outlined the next few chapters this past week and I'm excited where the story is going to go. I did have trouble with this chapter though. As I veer farther away from the book, I get a little strapped for ideas on conversations for the characters to have. I hope it's not too terrible of a read. There is a small content reminder for the end of the chapter. Remember this is rated M, people. Anyway, enjoy! :)

* * *

The next morning I had a hard time convincing myself that I hadn't actually gone insane and that the previous night wasn't an extremely elaborate delusion. But as I got dressed for the day in a heavy sweater, my shopping bags and the lack of a jacket were ample evidence that the conversation I had about Edward Cullen being a vampire had, in fact, occurred.

I ate a hurried breakfast of a granola bar and a few swigs of milk straight from the carton. Charlie had already left for the day and I was running late. It was foggy as hell outside so I'd have to drive a little slower than usual, which was already pretty slow.

I carefully drove the few miles to school shivering slightly and parked in the full parking lot. As soon as I stepped out into the fog, Edward appeared at my side. I jumped a little when I saw him.

"Whoa, where did you come from?" I laughed nervously.

"Good morning to you too," Edward smirked. He gave me a once over look. "Where is your coat? Aren't you cold?" he asked, immediately taking off his own gray leather jacket and silently offering it to me.

"I accidentally left it in Jessica's car last night. I didn't realize until I got home," I replied, raising my hands in front of me, palms up in protest of his offering. Edward scoffed.

"Don't be silly. You must be cold. Here, turn around." He held the jacket up. I rolled my eyes.

"Fine. If it'll shut you up," I whined. I took off my back pack, turned my back to Edward, and slipped my arms into the sleeves. They were too long and I had to push them up to expose my hands. "Thanks," I said lightly as I put my back pack on. The jacket was giving off a sweet aroma that was positively mouthwatering. I found myself wishing I could bottle the smell as we started off toward the campus.

"How did you sleep?" Edward asked as we walked along in the surrounding fog.

"Fine, I guess. How was your night?" I smiled over at him.

"Also fine." He exhaled and smiled wider. "It's such a relief that you know. It's nice not to have to lie about the smallest things like sleeping." He looked over at me with an exuberant gaze.

"I'm glad," I replied, returning his smile.

"It's refreshing to be able to be myself around someone other than my family."

"I can imagine. After 80 years it might get a little tiresome," I agreed amiably.

"So, I told my family about you," Edward hedged. I gulped. _The other Cullens_. We hadn't talked about them much… or at all, actually. Edward sighed before he continued. "They were furious when they found out you knew about us." My stomach dropped and my hands went cold and clammy. "They fear exposure and also…"

"What?" I asked in a small voice when he didn't continue.

"They worry I'll accidentally kill you." He didn't meet my gaze. "And that by being your friend it would put me—and therefore the whole family—under suspicion."

"Well that's just silly," I choked out attempting a bravado I didn't think I quite pulled off. "I have complete trust in you not to kill me. And you can trust me completely with your secrets," I told him in earnest.

"And I do. I do trust you, Bella." He looked back at me then with fervor in his voice. "It would be so much easier to convince them to trust us if Alice could just see which future outcome is certain."

"Um, what now?" I asked, flabbergasted. _The future?_

"Oh, I suppose I haven't told you about Alice yet, have I?"

"No, you haven't. She can see the future?" I asked completely in awe. Vampires were so damn _cool_. Edward chuckled a little.

"I'm afraid it'll have to wait." He gestured over to the building we were fast approaching.

Jessica was standing under the shelter of the cafeteria roof's overhang holding my jacket. Edward and I hurried over to her and her eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets when she saw our approach. They then shrewdly appraised the fact that I was wearing his jacket. _Shit_.

"Hey, Jess! Thanks for bringing my jacket!" I exclaimed when we reached where she stood. I hastily divested myself of Edward's coat and shoved it at him a little too hard in the hopes that Jessica wouldn't think too much of the fact that I was wearing his clothes—especially after Edward and I had dinner together the previous evening. _God_. Jessica wordlessly handed me my jacket. "Thanks," I said again after putting in on.

"Good morning, Jessica," Edward said politely.

"Er… hi." She shifted her wide eyes to me, trying to gather her jumbled thoughts. "I guess I'll see you in Trig," she said with a meaningful look. I suppressed a sigh. What was I going to tell her?

Jessica walked away, pausing twice to peek back over her shoulder at us.

"What are you going to tell her?" Edward murmured, leaning in toward me.

"Hey, I thought you said you couldn't read my mind!" I hissed, nudging my shoulder into his playfully.

"I can't," he said, startled. Then understanding brightened in his eyes. "I can, however, read hers—she'll be waiting to ambush you in class." I groaned. "What are you going to tell her?"

"I don't know." I bit my lip. "What does she want to know?"

He shook his head, grinning wickedly. "That's not fair."

"Not telling me what you know—now _that's_ not fair."

Edward deliberated for a moment as we walked. We stopped outside the door to my first class.

"She wants to know if we're secretly dating—behind Mike's back. She wants to know how you feel about me," he finally said.

"Well, shit." I did not want her thinking I was cheating on Mike. What if a rumor got around to Mike? We just became official, I didn't want something like this to break us up. Edward was scrutinizing my expression. "Thanks for giving me the heads up." I gave him a weak smile, my mind preoccupied.

We said our goodbyes and I turned into the classroom. Mike was already in his seat next to mine and I took it with a warm smile on my face, all traces of dread falling away at the sight of his returning smile.

"Morning," Mike mumbled in a tired voice. His eyes were still heavy with sleep and his hair was un-gelled, a sign of waking up too late and not having the time to get ready for school.

"Good morning," I replied with a small laugh. "Late night?"

Mike stifled a yawn. "Yeah. I had to stay up late to finish the Macbeth paper."

"How come? I thought we worked out all the details on Monday."

"I, uh, got distracted…" he said with a sheepish grin. "There was a 24 hour Steven Segal movie marathon on TV." I groaned. _Boys_.

"Ugh, Steven Segal? He's the worst!" I gagged.

"What, no way! He's the best. There's nothing like a good action B-movie with a guy making the same face in every scene." We laughed together. "So how did the trip to Port Angeles go last night?"

"Oh, it was great," I replied airily. I hoped his line of questioning wouldn't go too far. I wasn't sure what I was going to tell Jessica, let alone Mike. "We all found dresses." I blushed remembering the girls cooing over my dress and saying how Mike was going to lose it when he saw me in it.

"What's with the blush?" Mike asked with a smile.

"My dress." I lowered my gaze, embarrassed. "It's… pretty. Very girly. Red." I glanced back at Mike. He raised his eyebrows.

"I can't wait to see it," he replied with a smile. Mr. Mason called the class to order then, asking us to turn in our papers.

Mike walked me to my next class hand in hand when English let out and we parted ways with a warm embrace and a hardly restrained kiss. I spent the hour during government agonizing over what to tell Jessica and wondering if I would have time to ask Edward to corroborate whatever story I might have to invent. It wasn't until class was finally over that I realized I wouldn't have to do that—he'd be able to read her mind and know what I told her if she confronted him.

I inwardly reveled at the ease with which I thought about Edward's telepathy. How bizarre was it that I had a vampire for a friend? What are the odds that I'd move from Arizona to Washington and bump into a supernatural family? I was so busy in my revelations that I completely forgot about Jessica. She was sitting in the back row in Trigonometry nearly bouncing off her seat in agitation. I almost considered sitting somewhere else just to bug her, but I reluctantly took my customary seat beside her instead.

"Tell me everything!" She commanded as soon as I sat down.

"What do you want to know?" I hedged.

"What happened after we left?"

I shrugged, looking innocent. "He bought me dinner and then drove me home."

She glared at me, her expression still skeptical. "How did you get home so fast?"

"He drives like a frickin' maniac. It was terrifying," I replied in earnest.

"Was it like a date—did you tell him to meet you there?"

"What? _No_. Jessica, I'm going out with Mike. I'd never do that to him."

"Not even for Edward Cullen?" She teased.

"Of course not. I really like Mike and it's important to me that he doesn't think I'm secretly dating someone else, so just drop it, okay?"

"Jeez, sorry." Jessica backed off but was clearly disappointed. "So, what's his deal? Why is he hanging out with you?"

"Gee, _thanks_ ," I scowled.

"Oh, you know what I mean," she scowled back. "He never speaks to anyone but his family. Why is he branching out all of the sudden?"

"Beats me," I said, shrugging. "He did keep saying he was afraid I was going to go into shock from almost being run over. Maybe he just bought me dinner to make it up to me."

"Maybe…" she replied, the wheels in her head clearly spinning. "Man, you have the worst luck, though, huh? Almost being hit by a car twice in, like, three months?"

"Tell me about it." We laughed a little.

"So what did you guys talk about?" She asked in a hushed tone. Class had started but Mr. Varner wasn't paying close attention and we weren't the only ones still talking.

"I don't know, Jess, lots of stuff," I whispered back. "We talked about the English essay a little." A very, very little. I think he mentioned it in passing.

"Please, Bella," she begged. "Give me some details." She bounced a little in her seat, kicking her feet like a child.

"Okay, okay… I've got one," I said, placating my child-friend. "You should have seen the way the waitress was flirting with him. Completely over the top."

"What did he do?" she asked wide-eyed.

"Nothing. He barely noticed her."

"Was she pretty?"

"Very—and probably 19 or 20."

"Even better. Bella, I think he likes you."

I blushed, inwardly cursing the stupid capillaries in my face for betraying me. "I don't care about that, Jess…" I said and looked away. "We're just friends."

"I don't know how you're brave enough to be alone with him," she breathed shaking her head. She must have missed my blushing or I was sure she would have pounced on the deeper meaning of it.

"What do you mean?"

"He's so… intimidating. I wouldn't know what to say to him." She made a face, probably remembering this morning or last night when he'd turned on the overwhelming force of his charm on her. I laughed a little at her expression and she scoffed.

"You just have to learn to look past his face… and that body…" My thoughts started to drift. I looked over at Jessica and, to my amusement, I could see her thoughts had drifted as well. I cleared my throat claiming her attention again and we smiled at each other bashfully. "He's just a regular guy behind all that." I shrugged with nonchalance. "There's more to him than his looks." The vampire who wanted to be good—who saved lives so he wouldn't be a monster. I felt a little ashamed I ever thought of him as anything but.

"Is that possible?" Jessica giggled. I gave her a look and I was about to retort when Mr. Varner called on Jessica for an answer. Thankfully we didn't get the chance to talk any further for the rest of the period.

When the bell rang, I took evasive action before she had the chance to start of the subject of Edward again.

"So, how's Joseph?" I asked while we gathered our books.

"Oh my God, Bella, I forgot to tell you about the amazing conversation we had over the phone last night!" she exclaimed. I mentally twiddled my figurative evil mustache when my plan worked so well—Jessica launched in to a complete breakdown of her five minute long conversation with Joseph. It lasted through most of Spanish class and the walk to the cafeteria at lunch. I didn't have to contribute much. I may as well have been a wall for her to bounce her words off of for all she cared. This girl was my friend, but _man_ _alive_ could she talk! I just said the "hmm's" and the "yeah's" in all the right places and she propelled the conversation forward all on her own. Edward Cullen was, thankfully, the farthest thing from her mind.

As we stepped through the doors of the cafeteria, my eyes immediately made a beeline for the Cullen's table in the corner. I made eye contact with Edward and smiled. I waved in greeting when he returned the smile. Just before I turned away, Alice turned in her seat and made eye contact with me as well, a wide and lovely smile on her face. She waved enthusiastically at me. It surprised me—I'd never had any interaction with any of Edward's siblings before. I blushed and gave a small smile in return. I thought Edward said his family didn't like me.

Jessica and I took our seats at our table after we got lunch—me at Mike's side. Conversation was easy and time passed quickly as we laughed and ate our mediocre cafeteria food. Angela didn't pester me about my evening with Edward, for which I was grateful. Someone suggested we all go out to the 24 hour diner in town after the dance this Saturday. It was shaping up to be quite the shindig and I was becoming more and more excited for the weekend to arrive.

I kept taking quick peeks over at Edward and the other Cullens, observing them with my new knowledge. Edward had said that vampires have special abilities—amplifications of traits they may have had in their human lives. That must be what he meant about Alice. Edward can read minds and Alice could see the future. I found it all terribly fascinating. I wondered what the other Cullens could do. Telekinesis? Laser beam eyes? I chuckled softly to myself at the idea of vampire X-Men.

At the end of the lunch hour we made our way to biology class, Mike and I hand in hand. When we entered the classroom, we noticed A/V equipment set up at the head of the room. Mike left me at my seat where I was alone at the table. My heart began to sink thinking Edward might skip class again. I was about to muse as to why I felt that way when Edward strode through the door and swiftly took his seat next to me just as Mr. Banner shoved a tape in to the ancient-looking VCR. I tried to hide my elation when Mr. Banner snapped off the lights and started the movie. I would have to analyze these emotions later. For now, I would just have to enjoy Edward's company.

"Hey," I whispered over to him with a smile. I saw him smile back in the dim light of the opening credits of the movie.

"Hey," he replied. "So, the waitress was pretty?" he asked with a smirk. I gasped.

"You were listening?" I hissed. Edward gave a low chuckle.

"I couldn't help it."

"But how?"

"How what? You know I can—" he dropped his voice even lower—"read minds."

"I know, but I didn't think you could do it from far away." I replied, annoyed.

"I have to be fairly close," Edward admitted. "But the more familiar I am with someone's… 'Voice,' the farther away I can hear them. But still, no more than a few miles."

"Jeez," I breathed.

Edward was thoughtful for a moment. "It's a little like being in a crowded hall where everyone is talking at once. It's just a hum—a buzzing of voices in the background. Until I focus on one voice, and then what they're thinking is clear.

"Most of the time I can tune it out—it can be very distracting, it's much easier to appear _normal_ —" he frowned at the word—"when I'm not accidentally answering someone's thoughts rather than their words."

I chucked a little at the idea; I found it incredibly amusing. "How often does something like that happen?"

"I haven't made that mistake in a long time." Edward chuckled too.

"So, you really didn't notice? The waitress, I mean?" I asked.

"No. I wasn't paying attention. I had a lot on my mind."

"Poor girl," I teased. Edward rolled his eyes.

"So, Alice wanted me to clarify what I said earlier about my family not trusting you. She wants me to let you know that she trusts you completely. She's a bit miffed at me, actually, for implying she didn't."

"Oh," I said. I remembered her friendly smile and wave.

"She saw no betrayal on your part and she's been trying to convince the others."

"Meaning?"

"Some in the house think only disaster will come of our friendship. Rosalie and Jasper, mainly—and since Emmett needs to remain loyal to Rosalie or he's looking at the royal end of a hissy fit—he's siding with Rose. Carlisle and Esme are supportive of all their children equally—think of them as Switzerland," he whispered with a lopsided smile. "But Alice is officially on my side now when it comes to you. She says she's almost certain it will all work out in the end."

"What does that mean?" I asked, curious.

"Well, the future isn't set in stone. You can always change your future; you just have to change your choices. Alice foresaw two outcomes when you and I first met. I would either… _kill_ you… or we would all be good friends in the end—herself included. Alice foresees that you and she will be very close friends."

"Wow," I said in awe.

"So, she has just been trying to convince everyone of her certainty that I will not kill you and the happy ending will very likely take place instead. She says she's 90% sure."

"What, that you won't kill me?" I asked, incredulous.

"Yeah," Edward replied with reluctance.

"Well, I will just have to have a chat with her about that. I am 100% sure you will not… you know, kill me or whatever," I mumbled. Edward laughed.

"I'm sure she would like that very much. She's very eager to begin your epic friendship." I smiled at the thought and I wondered what Alice was like as a person.

"So, what can the others do?" I asked then.

"Well, like I said before, Carlisle believes a prominent trait we possessed in our former lives manifests into something stronger when we are changed. Sometimes those traits transform into abilities like my telepathy and Alice's foresight. But for others, the trait only becomes amplified. Rosalie, for example, was very beautiful in her former life. When she changed, her beauty magnified exponentially."

"I can believe it," I breathed, picturing Rosalie's devastating beauty. Her pale skin, red lips and cascading blonde hair all set on an hour-glass figure that most women would kill for, myself included. "And Emmett?"

"Strength," Edward whispered. I nodded picturing Emmett's broad shoulders and hulking frame. It was hard to believe anyone accepted these people as high schoolers. "Carlisle brought with him his exceptional self-control," Edward continued. "Which is how he can stand being a physician. Esme brought with her her enduring compassion. She loves us all as though we were her natural born children." The tenderness with which Edward spoke of his adoptive mother was heartwarming. "And Jasper… Jasper has an ability that's quite unique. He has the ability to not only sense the emotional state of those around him, but to also influence and manipulate their emotions."

"Wow," I simply said. What else was there to say? I was awed by the incredible things Edward was telling me. How was it possible that all of this was real and no other living soul knew about it? _Oh, yeah_ , I thought suddenly. I knew why. Because the majority of vampires kill anyone close enough to know their true nature and those that don't, like the Cullens, usually kept their distance from humans so no one ever _would_ know about them, I supposed.

My thoughts drifted to the Cullens' diet; hunting animals and drinking their blood. I couldn't picture it—these beautiful specimens taking down… what animals exactly did they hunt?

"So what sort of animals do you guys normally hunt?" I whispered over to him.

"We prefer carnivores to herbivores, but we try not to overhunt any one species. We also like to travel to places that might have an overpopulation problem of a certain species," Edward whispered back. "Emmett's favorite are bears."

" _Bears!?_ " I gasped and Edward chuckled.

"Grizzly bears, to be precise. He likes to hunt them in the early spring when they're just coming out of hibernation and they're more irritable." His voice was offhand, though his eyes were scrutinizing my reaction. I tried to keep it equally aloof.

"Nothing more fun than an irritated grizzly bear," I agreed, nodding. "What's your favorite?"

Edward raised an eyebrow. "Mountain lion," he replied simply, the corners of his mouth turning down, trying not to smile.

"Ah," I whispered in reply. "Hey, wait. So you _were_ poaching at the Goat Rocks," I teased. "It is _not_ bear season, you know. You could get a big fat fine. Possibly jail time," I quipped.

Edward rolled his eyes at my sarcasm. "It's not as though we use rifles and traps. We are but animals ourselves, hunting to sustain ourselves… unless, of course, you would prefer we hunt our usual prey?" He leaned in close, raising an eyebrow, a playful smirk on his lips. I caught a whiff of his sweet aroma and my face felt fuzzy and warm; my head abuzz for a moment. I snickered and turned my head away to fill my lungs with fresh air. How could such a dangerous creature be so damn intoxicating?

"What's up?" Edward asked when I didn't turn back to him right away. "Did I frighten you? I'm sorry," his hushed tone was wrought with concern.

"No, no." I turned back to him with a heavy blush on my cheeks. I would not, under any circumstance, ever tell him he had this effect on me. I wracked my brain for something witty to say or some way to change the subject.

"It's so frustrating when you do that," he complained under his breath.

"What? _Think?_ You're so impatient, Mr. Instant Gratification," I taunted. Edward scoffed with indignation. "Besides, I always tell you what I'm thinking anyway." _I hope I never tell him_ _ **this**_ _particular gem_ , I thought to myself.

"You edit," he accused.

"Not very much."

"Enough to drive me insane."

"Enough to keep me _sane_ ," I retorted with a playful nudge of my foot against his.

"So," he whispered. "Please indulge your spoiled friend and tell me what the edited version of your thoughts was." _Umm_ …

"Oh, you know…" I ran my fingers through my hair, shaking it out, stalling for time. I peeked at Edward who seemed to be leaning away from me slightly looking stiff and uncomfortable. "What's wrong?" I asked, concerned. It seemed to catch him off guard.

"Oh, um… you shook your hair out. It, uh… you smell… good," he mumbled, obviously chagrined. If he could, I was sure he would be blushing. I wanted to laugh but suppressed the urge.

"Is that good or bad?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. Edward looked up at me through his dark lashes, his eyes like two pools of honey—he looked guilty.

"A little bit of both," he breathed in his angelic voice. I blushed furiously.

"Oh," was all I could muster.

We looked away from each other, equally embarrassed, though we refused to put into words why. Moments passed agonizingly slow and we didn't say another word or even look at each other. Then Mr. Banner turned off the television and snapped the lights back on, announcing we would finish the film tomorrow.

Edward cleared his throat while the classroom came alive around us. Students were scraping their chairs along the floor, putting their books away, zipping up their backpacks, and starting conversations while making their way to the door. I looked over at Edward who looked back at me with a strange look on his face. It looked like restraint.

"I apologize, I really shouldn't have—" he started to say.

"Don't be silly, you have nothing to apologize for," I interrupted.

"But I—"

"Really, Edward. Just forget it," I said with a reassuring smile. He returned it reluctantly.

"Alright," he said finally. "I'll see you later, Bella." He gestured behind me and I turned to see Mike making his way over to our table. I turned back to Edward, but he was gone.

"What a boring movie, huh?" Mike said when he reached where I stood. _Yikes_ , I hadn't watched a single minute of the movie. I didn't have the slightest idea what it was about.

"Totally. What a snooze fest," I agreed, feigning a look of disgust as we made our way to gym class.

"So you and Cullen seemed chatty today," Mike said as we walked through the rain.

"Yeah," I replied. _Shoot_ , I hadn't told him about dinner with Edward last night. I kind of didn't want to because I was afraid it might make Mike jealous, but if I didn't tell him and he found out from someone else, it might seem like I was trying to hide it from him or that it meant something it didn't. I steeled myself. "Edward and I are friends," I told him.

"Really? I thought he was a jerk. That's why you haven't spoken to him in, like, three months."

"Well, he was," I laughed. "But after dress shopping last night, I bumped into him in Port Angeles and he joined me for diner." I threw a quick glance at Mike. He looked surprised.

"He had dinner with you, Jessica, and Angela?"

"Well, no. Just me." I went into detail about how I had gotten lost, how I was almost run over by Edward's car, and how when we made it back to the restaurant Jessica and Angela had already eaten. "So Edward and I stayed to eat and then he drove me home," I finished quickly, leaving out the many, many details Edward and I discussed.

"Oh," Mike said, his voice hard. "And so now you're friends."

"Yeah, I mean, we're friendly." I tried to ignore the hardness in his tone.

"I don't like it," he said finally, turning to me just as we reached the girls' locker room entrance.

"Don't like what?"

"I don't think he's a good friend for you. I've seen the way he looks at you… like you're something to eat." I barked out a guffaw of laughter. I quickly covered my mouth. He had no idea how on the mark he had been.

"Don't be absurd," I recovered. "We're just friends," I shrugged off his comment.

"I'm not being 'absurd.' He likes you more than just a friend. I'm a guy, Bella, I can tell," he replied sharply, getting angry.

"So what?" I retorted, getting angry myself. "So what if he does, Mike? What, you think if he makes a move on me I'll just fall into his arms and forget all about you? Don't you trust me?" I fumed.

"Of course I trust you, Bella, it's _him_ I don't trust."

"Your trust in Edward isn't the point. It's whether or not you trust me to turn him down or slap him in the face or whatever if he were to ever make a move on me." I stared Mike hard in the eyes, unyielding. Mike folded, his bravado crumpled.

"I guess I do trust you to do something like that." He kicked at the ground. "I know you can take care of yourself." He looked up at me with an apologetic smile on his handsome face. My expression softened.

"Good," I smiled back. Wrapping my arms around his shoulders and pulling his warm body against mine. He snaked his long arms around my waist pulling me even closer. I held his gaze as I leaned in for a soft kiss. Mike pulled away quickly and looked me full in the face.

"But you better tell me if he does so I can go kick his ass." I giggled.

"Shut up and kiss me," I chortled.

…

I walked into the locker room light headed and wobbly from the quick but passionate make out session I had with Mike in the doorway, changing in a trancelike state, only vaguely aware of those around me. Any attraction I had toward Edward seemed to pale in comparison to what I felt when Mike and I embraced; hearts pounding, breath coming in gasps, a yearn in my core that pulsed and ached with every caress, every kiss. Reality didn't fully set in until I was handed a racket. It wasn't heavy but it felt very unsafe in my hand. I noticed a few of my classmates eyeing me furtively. Coach Clapp ordered us to pair up.

Mike's chivalry was unfailing; he came to stand by me.

"Want to be a team?"

"Aw, my hero. But you don't have to do this, you know." I grimaced apologetically.

"Don't worry, I'll stay out of your way," he grinned and playfully swatted my butt with his racket. I yipped and jumped away, stumbling a little.

It didn't go smoothly, needless to say. I somehow managed to hit myself in the head with my own racket and clip Mike's shoulder on the same swing. I spent the rest of the hour at the back of the court with my racket safely behind my back. Mike seemed to be doing just fine without my help; he won three games out of four singlehandedly. He gave me an unearned high five with the coach finally blew his whistle signaling the end of class.

"You're so cute," I laughed as he did a victory lap around our badminton court, his racket held high over his head.

"You know it, baby," he said, jogging back to where I stood. I rolled my eyes and laughed again as we walked over to return our rackets.

"See you outside?" he gave me a quick peck before we parted ways.

…

I went to bed that night after dinner, homework, and writing a lengthy email to Renee. Writing to my mom was always the perfect catharsis. It was a lot like writing in a diary; she was the perfect secret keeper. I wrote to her about finding the perfect dress in Port Angeles, how much fun I had with my girlfriends and bumping into Edward. I refrained from telling her just _how_ I bumped into him—I didn't want her to worry about me almost getting run over… _again_. I told her about how it had sparked our friendship. I wrote to her about how Mike had officially asked me to be his girlfriend. I told her about how he was getting jealous of Edward. I purged myself of my confused feelings about Edward—how attracted to him I was but that I really just wanted to be his friend and that I was happy to have Mike as my boyfriend. I anxiously awaited her response. She always gave great insight and support.

I slept easily enough at first… that was until my shapeless dream shifted into something else. Something hot and intimate. Something sweaty with skin on skin, breaths coming quick and heavy, the air thick with pleasure. In my dream, Mike and I kissed in the sunshine on the grass. His hands trailed my body, caressing every pleasurable inch, his kisses taking my breath away, the sweat on our bodies glistening. My heart raced as my fingers traced the muscles of his back, tasting the salt on his skin as I licked the sensitive skin of his neck just below his jawline. A throaty moan escaped his lips and that's when I realized it wasn't Mike beneath my fingers and lips. It wasn't the sun we were writhing beneath but the moon. And it wasn't hot and sweaty, it was cold. So cold.

Edward was kissing me under the stars. Edward's hands roved my naked body. My hands travelled the hills and valleys of Edward's hard and plentiful muscles. I gasped and winced beneath his chiseled body, hard as marble, as he left a scorching trail of icy kisses down my body. His large white hands gripped the pert mounds of flesh on my chest, teasing the goose bumped skin there; my nipples hard as pebbles. A low moan of ecstasy escaped my lips when he raked his frosty tongue over my nipple's puckered surface…

I awoke with a jolt, snapping upright in bed, my breathing heavy and my heart pounding in my chest.

"Holy shit," I gasped. I was too hot. Panting, I angrily kicked the covers off my legs and I wiped the hair from my sweaty neck. _I need to cool down_ , I thought and my brain promptly thrust the image of Edward's icy body against mine unbidden. I winced away from the dream and groggily got to my feet with the intent to get a glass of water.

"Fuck," I said under my breath as I descended the stairs. What the hell did _that_ mean?

* * *

Hey! Thanks for reading my 10th chapter! Let me know what you think! I always appreciate your responses! :D


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

* * *

I woke up the next morning on edge. My dream about Edward certainly didn't help the confused feelings I was having towards him. The more I got to know him, the more attracted to him I was becoming. I checked my email between getting ready for school, anxious to see if my mom had responded to my lengthy email from the night before. No luck. _Shoot_.

With a sigh, I tromped down the stairs for breakfast in a deflated mood. Charlie had finished his eggs and was cleaning up when I poured myself a simple bowl of cereal and milk. I gave him a solemn farewell when he left for work, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I'd have to be careful from here on out, I told myself. I can't be involved with a vampire. It was a ludicrous idea. Friends. Just friends. Keep it light, keep it friendly. Try not to stand so close to him so you can't smell his succulent, sweet aroma. Try not to look directly into those deep endless eyes—eyes that had seen nearly a century of history pass before them.

If I were a history buff it would be a lot harder to keep from pestering him with questions, I thought suddenly. The things he must have seen; world wars, the fight for civil rights, technological and medical advancements, the space race, the Great Depression. Hell, he was even around when the fucking _Panama Canal_ was created.

Thoroughly distracted from my despair, I drove to school in wonder of what a life of immortality could grant you. In exchange, of course, for a constant burning thirst for human blood, I qualified to myself. I parked in the student parking lot and just like the morning before, Edward materialized at my side. It took me a little less by surprise than the day previous but it was still a little unsettling how fast he could move; faster than my human eyes could see.

"Good morning," he said in his silky voice. Damn it, I forgot about the voice. How do I keep from being attracted to him when he had a voice like that? Pray I never hear him sing—I'd be putty in his hands. "How are you today?"

"Good, thank you," I stammered trying to make it not so obvious that I was avoiding his gaze. _I could stare at his nose,_ I mused. It was a perfectly normal nose that posed no threat, I told myself.

Edward's gaze lingered on the circles under my eyes. "You look tired."

"I didn't sleep that well," I confessed. We started off toward the school.

"Neither did I," he joked.

I laughed. "I guess that's right. I suppose I slept just a little bit better than you did."

"I'd wager you did."

"So what did you do last night?"

Edward turned to look at me with a half-smile on his face. _His nose, his nose, his nose_ , I reminded myself when the force of his smile assaulted my eyes.

"You know, I actually thought it'd be fun if I had a chance to ask you all the questions today."

"Fun for who, you or me?" I asked with trepidation. Edward laughed in response—I died a little on the inside. I forgot about the laugh, too. "What do you want to know?"

He mused for a bit before asking me with a very serious face," What's your favorite color?" I rolled my eyes and his expression cracked. We both chuckled. "Well?"

"It changes from day to day," I replied.

"What's your favorite color today?"

"Probably brown."

He snorted. "Brown?"

"Sure. Brown is warm. I _miss_ brown. Everything that's supposed to be brown here is green. Green, green, green. Oh, except for the sky which is a near constant steely gray," I complained gesturing to the cloud strewn sky.

Edward watched my rant without saying anything. He considered for a moment, staring at my face.

"You're right," he finally agreed. "Brown _is_ warm."

I looked back at him. His expression was sincere and I smiled a little.

"What kinds of music do you listen to?" he asked then.

"I don't know. All kinds, I guess," I shrugged.

…

It continued like that until class started and he started up again as soon as we sat down for Biology in a hushed tone while the movie played. Edward questioned me relentlessly about every insignificant detail of my life. Movies I'd liked and hated, where I had traveled and where I hoped to travel, and books—endlessly books.

When the hour was up, Mr. Banner informed us that we still had another twenty minutes or so left on the film and that we would have to finish it on Friday.

"So, are you finished now?" I asked exasperatedly while the classroom came alive around us.

"Not even remotely," he said with a playful smile. "In fact, would you mind if I accompanied you home after school?"

"What, to ask more questions? At my house?" I tried to imagine a statuesque Edward among the shabby couch in my living room. I couldn't.

"Yes, if that's alright. I mean, if you don't already have plans or you need to work on homework or something."

"Yeah, I guess that's okay. But I do have to stop by the grocery store on my way home."

"I'd love to accompany you, if you don't mind," Edward replied in earnest.

"No, I don't mind," I said a little awkwardly. Human errands with my friend Edward the vampire. It was almost comical. "I guess I'll see you after school then."

…

Gym passed quickly as I watched Mike's one-man show. He made badminton look so easy I was halfway tempted to join in but I didn't want to risk hitting him again with friendly fire. Coach Clapp had given up on me, I noted with a sigh. He no longer barked at me for standing on the sidelines, he merely looked the other way when he made his rounds to all the badminton courts. I would have laughed about it if it were anyone else but me.

…

"So are you getting excited about the dance?" I asked Mike as we walked out to the parking lot after gym.

"I am," Mike replied in a sultry tone, sliding his arm around my waist as we walked. "Excited to see you in your 'girly, red' dress," he whispered in my ear, brushing my lobe with his lips as he spoke the words. I blushed furiously. My attraction to Mike seemed unhindered and intact despite my confused feelings about Edward.

We stopped at his suburban as it was parked closer to the gym and we said goodbye with a long and unrestrained kiss. My face warm, I headed over to where my truck was parked and found Edward standing astride it.

"Hey," I called over to him when I spotted him. He gave a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes in response. "So, are you coming with me in my truck?" I asked, opening the driver's side door and tossing my bag in.

"If you don't mind the company," he replied in a curt tone that I didn't miss.

"No, go ahead. The door's unlocked." I motioned to the passenger door before getting in the cab. Edward followed suit, taking in the interior of the truck with distaste.

"I have a feeling that this thing doesn't go very fast, does it?" he remarked with disdain.

"No, it doesn't," I quipped. "But he's old. You gotta cut him some slack."

"Him?"

"Oh, yeah. I get a strong grandpa vibe from this truck. Don't you think?" I smirked. Edward just gave a stiff nod in reply. "Hey, what's with you?" I asked as I pulled out of the parking spot. Edward just eyed me and sighed heavily. "You know, you're awfully angsty for someone pushing a hundred," I teased.

He whipped around and gave me a sour look. "I'm sorry, I just can't help my reaction when I am forced to hear and see unpleasant things in someone's thoughts."

"What do you mean?"

"Your boyfriend—he thinks some pretty ungentlemanly things about you sometimes," Edward spat.

" _Ungentlemanly!?_ " I repeated, annoyed now. "Listen, I sympathize with you, I do. I know you can't help hearing the things you do, but people can't help thinking the things they do either. They don't know someone is listening. Inside your own head is a safe place to think whatever you want… for all they know, that is." We slowly chugged our way out of the parking lot, pausing here and there to let students pass by.

Edward let out another sigh. "I know. You're right. I just… sometimes I wish I were normal."

I scoffed. "What's so great about being _normal_? Average? _Mundane_?"

"There are many things we missed out on, my siblings and I. Human experiences that can never be regained now that we're monsters; now that we have the abilities that we do," he said quietly from the passenger seat. I looked over at him, his expression sad and far away.

"Like what?" I asked softly.

Edward looked back at me with such sorrow and pain in his eyes that I almost gasped. Nearly a century's worth of loneliness looked out through his golden eyes. The unrequited need for acceptance and love cried out from their depths. I couldn't look away.

"Bella, stop," Edward said, breaking my trance.

"Huh?" I blinked.

"The breaks, Bella! The breaks!" he shouted.

I looked ahead in time to see I was swiftly approaching a red stop light at a busy intersection. I cried out in surprise and stomped hard on the break. The ancient truck ground to a halt with a groan.

"Woah," I breathed shakily.

"Maybe next time we have an outing, I can drive," Edward said smoothly. I looked back over at him and his expression was back to normal. He must be really good at hiding his pain, I thought remembering the pained look he gave me moments before.

I let out a shaky laugh. The light turned green and I drove through the intersection. "So, is it back to twenty questions?" I asked when it fell silent in the cab. Edward smiled in response before launching into more of his questions.

These questions were different now though, not as easily answered. He wanted to know what I missed about home, insisting on descriptions of anything he wasn't familiar with. His quiet probing questions kept me talking freely as we shopped for groceries. He started asking me about the choices I made when selecting grocery items. He seemed fascinated at the novelty of human banalities like grocery shopping and meal planning. I complied to his whims and tried to describe my thought processes as best I could all the while wondering how on Earth something se boring could interest him so much.

He helped me load the grocery bags into the bed of the truck before we climbed back into the cab.

"Charlie's going to be home soon. Did you want to stay for dinner?" I asked turning the key in the ignition.

"I'll help you bring in the groceries, but I'm afraid I can't stay for dinner," Edward replied with a sardonic smile.

"Do you want me to drive you home?" I wondered where he lived.

"No offense, but I can walk faster than you drive," he said with a chuckle.

"Oh, ha, ha. My truck is slow," I muttered pulling out of the parking spot.

Edward launched into more questions as it started to rain on the short drive home. He asked about my friends back home and about the boys I had dated. He seemed as surprised as Jessica and Angela were about my lack of abundant romances.

"Are you finished?" I asked with relief as I parked the truck in front of the house.

"Not even close!" Edward exclaimed with a throaty laugh that made my stomach flutter.

We climbed out of the cab and Edward insisted on carrying all the groceries into the house. He carried them effortlessly despite the volume of shopping bags up to the front step while I scrambled to get the house key in the lock in the dark. I was just mumbling an apology when Edward's head whipped to the east, his sharp eyes focusing on something in the distance that I couldn't see.

"Not good," he muttered.

"What is it?" I was surprised to see that his jaw was clenched and his eyes disturbed.

He glanced at me for a brief second. "Another complication," he said glumly. I could see headlights in the distance coming our way. "I'm sorry I can't help you bring these inside, but I think it's best if I go now before your guests arrive," Edward said, placing the bags on the step at his feet.

"My guests?" I asked, bewildered.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Bella," was all he said before vanishing in a blur.

I stood dumbly on the front step staring in the direction he ran off at lightning speed in before the approaching car's headlights swept across me breaking my trance. The car parked behind my truck on the street and I tried to make out the shapes in the front seat, but it was too dark.

"Hey, Bella!" a familiar, husky voice called from the driver's side of the little black car.

"Jacob?" I asked, squinting through the rain.

Just then, Charlie's police cruiser swung around the corner, his lights shining on the occupants of the car. Jacob was already climbing out, his wide grin visible through the darkness. In the passenger seat was an older heavy set man with a wide memorable face—an overflowing face with high cheekbones and creases running through his russet skin like an old leather jacket; with black eyes that were both too young and too old. I knew him immediately: Billy Black. I smiled tentatively and waved at him through the rain and he returned the greeting easily.

I realized then what Edward had said about this being a complication. Did Billy believe in the impossible legends his son scoffed at? I could only hope he did not and I was grateful Edward had escaped before being spotted. _Let's not open up_ _ **that**_ _can of worms_ , I thought to myself as Charlie parked the cruiser in the driveway.

"Billy!" Charlie called as he got out of his car.

I finally unlocked the door and flicked on the porchlight, flooding the front lawn in yellow light.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't see you behind the wheel, Jake," Charlie said disapprovingly.

"We get our driver's permits early on the rez," Jacob said, going around to the passenger side door and opening it.

"Sure you do," Charlie laughed.

"I have to get around somehow." I recognized Billy's resonant voice despite the five or so years since I had last seen him. The sound of it made me feel like a child again.

I grabbed a few bags and headed inside, leaving the front door open, turning on lights as I made my way to the kitchen. I came back for the last of the grocery bags as Charlie and Jacob were easing Billy into his wheelchair. The three hurried into the house, shaking off the rain.

"This is a surprise," I head Charlie say as I unpacked the groceries.

"It's been too long," Billy answered. "I hope it's not a bad time."

"No, it's great. I Hope you can stay for the game." I peeked out of the kitchen in time to see Jacob grin.

"I think that was the plan—our TV broke last week."

Billy made a face at his son. "And of course, Jacob was eager to see Bella again," he added. Jacob scowled and ducked his head as I fought back a surge of remorse. Maybe I had been too convincing at the beach.

"Are you guys hungry?" I called out from the kitchen, pretending not to have seen the display.

"Naw, we ate before we came," Jacob answered, walking toward the kitchen.

"How about you, dad?"

"Sure," he replied, his voice moving in the direction of the living room. I heard Billy's chair follow.

I smiled at Jacob when he came into the kitchen and sat at the small table.

"So how are things?" Jacob asked.

"Pretty good," I replied cheerily. His enthusiasm was hard to resist. I started to assemble ingredients for some sandwiches on the kitchen counter. "How about you? Did you finish your car yet?"

"No," he frowned. "I still need parts. We borrowed that one." He jerked his thumb in the direction of the front yard.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I haven't seen any… what was it you were looking for?"

"Master cylinder." He grinned.

"Right." I busied myself with making a couple of sandwiches for a few moments. "So, it's been a while since Charlie and Billy have gotten together?" I asked Jacob suddenly.

"Yeah. It's been a while. I guess they had some fight a while back, so tonight is sort of a reunion, I think."

"What do two old guys have to fight about?" I chuckled, grabbing a few plates from the cupboard.

"About the Cullens, remember?" I paused in my actions, remembering the conversation we had at First Beach. "Billy didn't want our people on the reservation going to the hospital where Dr. Cullen worked, remember? Charlie got all upset saying that Dr. Cullen was a damn fine surgeon," Jacob began imitating Charlie's official sounding voice. "…who could work anywhere in the world making ten times what he makes here and we were all damn lucky to have him—lucky his wife wanted to live in a small town. Blah, blah, blah…" he trailed off.

"Oh yeah," I laughed shakily. "I forgot about that."

"Superstitious old man," Jacob muttered under his breath.

"You know," I said in a conspiratory tone, turning to him with a plate of sandwiches in each hand. "I sit next to Edward Cullen in Biology."

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Is he scary?" He smirked.

"If by scary you mean polite and completely normal, then yes, he's downright terrifying." I offered Jacob a sandwich.

"No thanks, I'm really not hungry," he replied politely.

"A growing boy like you? I'm surprised," I teased and made my way toward the living room with Jacob in tow. I didn't miss the look he made when I called him a boy. It must have made him feel like he was too young for me. _What a mess I've made_. "How tall are you anyway?"

"6'2'' and counting," he replied, obviously pleased with himself.

"Jeez," I murmured in wonder. I was barely 5'4''.

I handed Charlie a plate and settled down on the couch beside him. Jacob sat in the armchair beside the couch. We ate and watched the basketball game while chatting happily. I asked Jacob about school and his friends. He launched into lengthy stories about his two best friends and the kind of trouble they get into on the reservation while Billy and Charlie cheered and groaned at the TV.

The game was really long and I had a lot of homework that was going undone, but the atmosphere in the cozy room was pleasant enough that I didn't mind. When was I ever going to use Trigonometry in the real world, anyway?

…

"Are you and your friends coming back to the beach?" Jacob asked as he pushed his father over the lip of the threshold when the game had finally ended.

"Um, I'm not sure," I hedged. It was such a pain in the ass getting the last trip together that I didn't think another would happen any time soon. Sunshine didn't come cheap in Forks; you had to pay for it with a lot of rain first.

"That was fun, Charlie," Billy said.

"Come up for the next game," Charlie encouraged.

"Sure, sure," Billy agreed. "We'll be here. Have a goodnight." His eyes shifted to me. "It was good seeing you again, Bella. You've grown so much!" I blushed and tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear. "I'll tell the girls you say hello."

"Please do," I stammered, embarrassed.

I headed for the stairs before they had driven away while Charlie was still waving goodbye.

"Wait, Bella," he said, closing the door. I paused and turned a little apprehensively to him. I knew I shouldn't be worried about the whole Billy and the Cullens thing, especially when Charlie didn't even know I was friends with Edward, but I felt a little guilty anyway. "I didn't get a chance to talk to you tonight. How was your day?"

"It was good." I hesitated with one foot on the first stair searching for details I could safely share with him. "My badminton team won all four games."

"Wow, I didn't know you could play badminton."

"Well, actually I don't. My partner's really good," I admitted.

"Who's your partner?"

"Mike," I blushed.

"Ah," Charlie said with a nod. "You guys hang out a lot," he continued in a leading tone.

"Well he's actually, uh, my boyfriend," I mumbled, blushing even harder.

"Your what, now? Boyfriend?" Charlie exclaimed, his eyebrows rising so high on his forehead I was worried they might fill in his receding hairline.

"It's no big deal, dad," I replied, praying he'd just drop it and let me escape.

"Uh-huh," Charlie said in a knowing tone. "Well maybe I'll have a little chat with _Mr. Newton_ next time I see him."

"Please don't, dad, you'll embarrass me," I begged in a whiney teenager's voice. I hated how the words sounded but, being a teenage girl, I couldn't stem their flow from my lips.

"And I don't want him over without my permission or my supervision from now on, you hear me young lady?" he said in his official dad voice, he cheeks growing red.

"Fine!" I snapped, annoyed at the parental role he was now deciding to take. I turned to head up the stairs.

"How old is he? Is he 18 yet?" Charlie called to my retreating figure.

"No!" I hollered. "I'm going to bed now!" I shouted from the top of the stairs.

"Goodnight!" he yelled back.

I slammed the door. _Ugh, stupid Charlie and his stupid dad rules. Stupid teenage hormones making me rebellious and belligerent._ What was so frustrating about my emotions was that I knew why I was reacting the way I was and I knew I was being irrational, yet I was powerless to stop from feeling the way I did.

I plopped down at my computer and opened my email. Renee had written! My bad mood melted away as I clicked on the email and began to read.

"Bella," my mom wrote.

"That's so great to hear about you and Mike! I know you've had a crush on him for a long time. About Edward—I understand he was the one who gave you a dirty look on your first day and now you like him too? Tis the draw of the "Bad Boy," my dear. All young women are susceptible to its siren call, I'm afraid. My best advice to you is to not sweat it so much. You're young! Date around. Why tie yourself down to one person so soon?"

I sighed. _Figures_. She's worried I'm going to end up like she did when she was my age—married with a baby before the age of twenty. All my life my mother instilled in me the knowledge she wished she'd been given when she was young: don't get married!... at least not until you're good and old and you've learned a thing or two about life. I could appreciate her worry—I didn't want to plant deep roots in the town where the sun came to die, but it certainly didn't help with the dilemma I faced at the present.

I quickly read through the rest of her email and turned off the computer in a huff, my good mood gone as quickly as it had come. I guess I'd just have to navigate these uncharted waters on my own, I thought as I changed for bed.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter! Let me know what you think because, as I'm sure you all know by now, I always appreciate your feedback. Thanks so much! :)


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

* * *

Hey everybody! Welcome to the 12th chapter of A Bad First Impression! This chapter definitely veers off from the book and there is a timeline discrepancy in it. Please don't roast me alive for changing said timeline. It was necessary, I swear!

Anyhow, enjoy the latest chapter and thanks for reading! :)

* * *

I awoke the next morning feeling well rested and remorseful over the spat I had with Charlie the night before. After getting dressed and ready for the day, I slunk down the stairs with my figurative tail tucked between my legs. Charlie was just finishing his breakfast and gave me a curt nod in greeting before placing his plate in the sink.

I cleared my throat. "Hey, Dad." He didn't look away from the plate he was scrubbing. He grunted in response. I stood sheepishly by the kitchen table, unmoving and unsure of what to say next. "I'm sorry about last night," I said finally.

He shut off the water and turned to look at me. "I'm sorry too, Bells," he sighed. "I guess in some ways I still think of you as a child and I forget you're practically grown." My heart ached for my father, the man who had been forced to experience parenting as some kind of spectator's sport. He had missed so much of my life. All the little unimportant things your day was comprised of added up to your whole life and so the little things became vitally important… and he missed them all.

I walked swiftly over to Charlie and wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug, my eyes prickling with tears.

"I'm sorry, Dad," I mumbled into his shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to miss so much." Charlie hugged me back.

"It's okay, Bella. We have our whole lives to fix that." His voice was thick with emotion. Coming from Charlie, a man who revealed very little of his inner thoughts, made the sentiment all the more precious.

…

I spotted Edward this time _before_ I parked my truck at school later that morning and this time he wasn't alone, I realized with a jolt. Alice Cullen stood next to Edward beside their Volvo with an eager expression on her face. I got out of my truck warily, unsure of the reason for her presence. _I hope everything is okay_ , I thought to myself. The two Cullens didn't approach me so I came to them, taking slow and deliberate steps.

"Hey," I said in a small voice when I finally reached them.

"Good morning," Edward said in a polite yet restrained tone. "Bella, I'd like to introduce you to my sister, Alice." I turned to greet her, but before I could say a word, Alice quickly sprang over to me and swept me up in a rib-crushing hug. My feet actually left the ground despite her petite frame. _I must remember to never underestimate their strength_ , I thought as I fought for air.

"Oh, Bella, I'm just so glad to finally meet you! I've seen so many good things about you and I just couldn't wait to be lifelong friends!" She trilled in a lovely soprano voice. She let me go then and I had to gasp in a gulp of air. I blushed hotly and glanced over at Edward before responding. He didn't look amused.

"It's good to finally meet you as well," I said with a shaky smile. "Edward says good things."

Alice linked her arm in mind and turned away from Edward's snarky glare and began to skip merrily toward campus, dragging me along. I looked helplessly back at Edward who rolled his eyes and began to swiftly follow us.

"So, I talked Edward into being my date for the dance tomorrow night. We're all going to have so much fun!" Alice chattered in a voice that fluttered as fast as a hummingbird's wings. "Of course I've seen your dress and you look lovely in it."

"What do you mean you've seen my dress?" I asked, wide-eyed and awed by her lilting grace.

"Oh," Alice giggled—the sound like wind chimes. "I saw you decide to buy it in Port Angeles. I've been focusing so hard on Edward's reactions to you that I started seeing your future as well. The more attuned to someone I am, the more clearly I can see their future," she explained. I merely nodded in astonishment. "I much preferred the red dress to the chocolate colored one you tried on. I'm torn between two dresses myself," she continued. "Oh, Bella, I have to take you shopping sometime! We'll hit all the best boutiques in Paris…"

"P-Paris?" I stammered.

"Oh, yes. It is absolutely the only place to go for the finest garments. Paris and Milan, of course. Did you know I dress everyone in the house? I'm sure they're all exhausted by me by now, but as I always say, 'Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to shop!'*"

I listened, mesmerized by her tinkling voice and flowing elegance as we strolled on to campus. Alice kissed my cheek with a quick icy peck when the bell rang and we parted ways for class. She left me in awe of the nonchalance with which she touched me and her all around closeness. I remembered how quickly Edward had shrank away from any skin on skin contact we had in the beginning and the careful distance he always kept between us. I smiled to myself at how Alice was already speaking as though we were best friends. She _had_ seen that we would be close, after all. _Who was I to fight fate?_ I thought happily as I took my seat beside Mike in English, smiling at him warmly.

…

The morning dragged by in only the way a school day does when it's Friday—painfully slow. But eventually the lunch hour arrived and Jessica and I walked to the cafeteria together from Spanish class in good humor. We had gotten our lunch and were just sitting down at our usual table with our group of friends when to everyone's surprise, myself included, Alice danced up with a reluctant looking Edward in tow. I smiled up at them in greeting while every other face at the lunch table stared, unspeaking in wonder at them.

"Hi, Bella!" Alice greeted me cheerfully in her birdsong voice. "Do you mind if we sit with you guys today?"

The whole table continued to stare wordlessly at the pair of teenage vampires too awed to speak. I glanced around at the other occupants of the table for confirmation. I got neither good nor bad responses, so I replied with a cautious, "Sure." I noticed that there were no free seats. "You might have to pull up another table and a few chairs, though."

"Oh, it's no trouble," Alice shrugged and quickly added another four top table to the end of ours and sat down next to me. Edward reluctantly took an empty seat. He looked very uncomfortable—no doubt hearing all the shocked and perhaps unpleasant things my friends were thinking.

It took a few minutes but conversation seemed to resume as per usual, except now some questions were being thrown the Cullens' way by the more outgoing and friendly of our group. Alice fielded most of the questions with her sweet, pixyish charm. Edward answered a few while trying to remain as polite as possible despite his obvious urge to leave.

Lauren looked very annoyed at the Cullens' presence. She seemed doubly annoyed that Tyler's attention had been diverted away from her. I had to keep a straight face as I watched her frustrations grow as her attempts to reclaim his attention failed over and over again. Finally, in a huff, she grabbed her things, announced she had to visit the ladies room, and stormed off. When I caught Edward's eye and noticed him fighting a smile, I couldn't help but finally laugh out loud.

My outburst caught Jessica's attention. "Oh, hey, Bella, I almost forgot. I'm having a sleepover tonight. Then tomorrow, my mom is going to help us get ready for the dance."

"Your mom?" I asked.

"Yeah, she's a hair stylist. She runs the Savvy Salon downtown. You wanna come?"

"Ooh, a slumber party?" Alice chimed, her obsidian eyes alight with excitement. Jessica's expression fell a fraction. She hadn't extended the invitation to Alice, who, for all intents and purposes, was a stranger to her… to me as well, actually.

"Uh, yeah…" Jessica hedged.

Edward gave Alice a stern look. She pouted and turned back to Jessica. "It sounds super fun, but I have plans…" she said with a wilted tone.

"That's too bad," Jessica said in perplexed voice but she perked back up nonetheless and turned back to me.

"Yeah, that sounds fun. I'd love to." I smiled. It looked as though Edward and Alice were having a quiet and decidedly one sided argument. I laughed nervously and tried to divert any attention away from their interaction, which might seem strange to anyone who wasn't informed of Edward's gift. "So how about that Trig test on Monday?"

…

The rest of the day went by just as slowly as the morning had. We finished the movie in Biology and had the rest of the period free to study. _Right. Study_. All around me, I caught snatches of conversation about Edward and Alice having lunch with our table.

Edward continued to pepper me with questions. He asked me about my mother's hobbies, what we had done in our free time together, about my grandparents (of whom I only knew my maternal grandmother), and so on. I was beginning to feel impatient with the constant questions when I thought about this morning with Charlie. I remembered how he had missed all the little things that constituted my life and I realized this was what Edward had been doing the last day or two—he'd been trying to learn all the small things; the seemingly insignificant things that when added up totaled who I was. It made his questions much more tolerable and I made a mental note to return the favor and really learn about him—not just as a vampire—but as a person.

…

"So you and Edward really are friends, huh?" Mike said as we walked together to the gym after Bio.

"Yeah. And Alice too. She's nice, huh?" I replied cheerfully, remembering her exuberance and light-hearted mannerisms.

"Don't you think it's strange that they've been loners for so long and now, all the sudden, they're not?"

"I don't know," I shrugged. "Maybe they were just waiting for someone to be _nice_." I elbowed him for emphasis and laughed.

"It's hard to be nice when they look so…" he trailed off searching for the right word.

"I know what you mean. And I can't speak for the others, but Edward and Alice are really friendly. You should try to get to know them."

"Yeah, I guess…" he replied doubtfully. "So, what did you do last night?" he asked suddenly. _Crap_. I hadn't told him I hung out with Edward last night. I had to stop doing that and start keeping him in the loop. I mentally added another item to my growing list of important things to remember.

"Well, Edward and I hung out a little," I hedged. Mike snapped to attention, his look sour. "He went grocery shopping with me," I forged ahead. "And then Charlie's old friend Billy Black and his son Jacob came over to watch the basketball game."

"Jacob?" Mike replied, confused. "Why's that name so familiar?"

"You met him at First Beach last weekend, remember?" Realization dawned across his face, which was quickly replaced with unveiled jealousy.

"Oh, yeah. That kid who gave you the googly eyes."

I scoffed nervously in an attempt at nonchalance. "Jacob's just a family friend, Mike, don't be silly."

Mike's eyes narrowed. "You seem to have an awful lot of friends who have the hots for you," he sniffed.

I rolled my eyes. "Haven't we gone over this already?" We arrived at the girls' locker room. I turned to look at him.

Mike sighed. "Yes… and I trust you completely."

"You better," I teased, poking my index finger into his warm chest. _This jealousy thing was starting to get really unattractive_ , I found myself thinking.

"Next time your dad has people over for the game, why don't you give me a call? I like basketball," Mike said, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Sure," I smiled up at him. My smile fell when I remembered the spat I had with Charlie the night before. "Actually, the sooner the better. I told Charlie about us last night," Mike gulped and I giggled at his expression. "He wants to 'chat' with you."

Mike groaned, dropping his arms and taking a step away from me.

"Don't be afraid," I murmured, leaning in to him and bringing my lips to his neck. "He's not that scary." My lips brushed against the sensitive skin over his Adam's apple. Mike swallowed reflexively and snaked his arms back around my waist. "Not after he takes off his gun belt anyway." I looked up at him with a grin on my face.

"Oh, ha ha," he replied sarcastically.

"Kiss me, _Mr. Newton_ ," I said, mocking my dad's official sounding tone before planting a kiss on Mike's lips.

…

After gym, Mike walked me out to the parking lot hand in hand. I told him I was going to get ready for the dance at Jessica's and that he should probably pick me up there for the dance. I gave him a long kiss goodbye before hopping into my truck and driving home.

…

Jessica called later that afternoon and told me I was welcome to come over anytime. I told her I'd come by after dinner that evening. It would give me time to get some things together and get a little homework done before the big slumber party. She told me it would just be herself, Angela and me, as Lauren had opted not to come. I told Jessica I felt bad that I was the reason Lauren was missing out on girls' night again, especially when she and Lauren seemed to be such good friends, but Jessica reassured me saying that it wasn't like I was telling Lauren she couldn't come or anything and that it was Lauren's' choice to stay at home.

I fried up some battered fish and baked some seasoned potato wedges for dinner. I was just pulling the potatoes out of the oven when Charlie got home. I told him about the slumber party while we ate. He seemed fine with my plans, relieved even at the idea that he wasn't leaving me at home alone this Saturday to go fishing.

"So you gals are staying in tonight, right? Not going out anywhere?" he asked while we washed the dishes after we finished eating.

"Yeah, why?"

"There's supposed to be a thunderstorm tonight. A big one," he said, his tone colored with concern.

"Okay," I replied. "We'll make sure to stay in."

I collected some things for the slumber party after dinner: my nicest nightgown, an outfit for the next day, some toiletries, and my pillow. I also made sure to grab my dress and shoes for the dance.

I said goodbye to Charlie before tossing my things into the cab of my truck and heading out to Jessica's. Jessica and her mom lived in the newer housing development in Forks. The houses were more modern and spaced closely together. I'd never met her mother Janice before, but from what I understood, she was recently divorced.

I parked in front of their house in the rain that was steadily growing heavier. I hurried to the front door and rang the bell. I heard the patter of clackity claws on hardwood and a loud bark.

"Aw, Dooley, shut up, will ya?" I heard Jessica's voice holler at the unseen dog before she opened the door with a flourish. "Bella! Come in, come in! It's pouring buckets out there!" She pulled me inside. A fat, squat English bulldog pawed at my shins. "Down, Dooley, down!" Jessica yelled at him. He didn't mind her but instead continued to beg for attention, his wiggly butt wagging a mile a minute and getting more and more excited. I laughed and bent down to pet him. He snorted in excitement and immediately rolled over onto his back for belly rubs. "Sorry about that," Jessica laughed, a little embarrassed by her dog's forward behavior.

"It's okay. He's too cute!" I exclaimed, rubbing Dooley's belly and giggling when I hit a sweet spot that sent his hind leg twitching.

"Come on in. Angela's already here." I stood up and followed her into the house, Dooley at our heels. When we entered the family room, I greeted Angela who was sitting on the large sectional couch watching TV.

"Here, I'll take your stuff and put it in my room. I'll be right back," Jessica said as she took my bag and pillow from me. She turned down a nearby hallway and disappeared. Mrs. Stanley turned the same corner and came into view.

"Hi there! You must be Bella!" she called to me with an animated smile on her heart-shaped face.

"Hello, Mrs. Stanley," I replied, returning her smile.

Jessica's mom was darling. She was petite like Jessica and had the same dark curls which she had piled into a messy bun on top of her head. She looked to be around the same age as my mother and exuded warmth and affection from her very pores. I instantly liked her.

"Oh, please, call me Janice!" she responded happily. "Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?" she asked.

"No, thank you. I already ate dinner with my dad."

"Chief Charles Swan, right?" she smiled, her hands placed casually on her slim hips.

"Yes, that's right."

"He's a handsome fellow, isn't he? He still single?" she asked, giving me a wink. I blushed a little and gave a small laugh.

"Yeah, he is. You want his number?" I laughed again.

"Oh, I've already got his number. It's still 9-1-1, right?" she replied with a laugh. Angela giggled from the couch. "Ooh, hey, I'm going to make some caramel corn for the movie, how's that sound?" Janice enthused, skipping into the spacious kitchen.

"Ooh, yeah, that sounds good," Jessica said as she rounded the corner and came back into the living room with a pink cosmetic case in her hand. "Let's do some Mani's and Pedi's while we watch the movie!" Jessica said excitedly, pulling nail polish, cotton balls, lotion, and emery boards from the plastic box.

Janice joined in the festivities after we changed into our pajamas. We did each other's nails and talked over the movie that none of us were watching. It was so easy to include her in the girls' night—she was so easy to talk to and was always quick with a witty remark on whatever subject we landed on. She reminded me a lot of my mother in personality, which is why I must have taken such an instant liking to her. I wondered idly at the idea of her and my dad dating while the storm raged outside. The thunder boomed so loud it made some of us jump at times, sending the four of us into fits of giggles and Dooley barking into the night.

As the night progressed and our nails dried, the snacks kept coming and we put in sappy movie after sappy movie, laughing and crying with the main characters. We talked about boys and school and goofed around a lot. We even painted Dooley's toe nails just because he let us. We all passed out around three in the morning or so, sprawled out across the sofa and the floor, one last movie playing softly on the TV and our bellies full of snack food.

The storm had passed by the time we woke up, stiff and groggy, around midmorning. Blankets had been draped over Angela, Jessica, and me sometime while we slept by Janice, who was no longer in the living room with us. We ate a subdued breakfast of cold cereal and juice after changing and brushing our teeth. Jessica's mom emerged cheerily to join us, miraculously looking like she hadn't missed a single wink of sleep, putting us youthful teenagers to shame. Janice kissed her daughter's forehead goodbye as she left for work but not before reminding us of our hair appointments at her salon at four that afternoon. The dance started at six that evening and the boys were set to pick us up at a quarter till, which meant we had to do our makeup before getting our hair done and then coming home to change into our dresses.

We hung around Jessica's house watching TV and talking until lunch time when we decided to go out for lunch. Jessica and Angela couldn't decide between burgers or Mexican food so the decision fell to me. Definitely Mexican, I decided. We took Jessica's car down to a popular sit down Mexican restaurant not too far from her house. As we were getting out of the car, I spotted Alice near the entrance of the restaurant.

"Alice, what are you doing here?" I exclaimed when we approached her. Angela had a surprised look on her face while Jessica looked a little annoyed. She must have been remembering when Alice had almost invited herself to our get together. Maybe she was worried it would happen again.

"Oh, hey, Bella!" Alice sounded just as surprised as I was, which was odd considering she could see the future. I wouldn't have thought anything surprised her. "I was just meeting Jasper for lunch." That was _definitely_ odd. She wouldn't be going to a restaurant unless she was putting on a show. _Was_ she putting on a show? Just then Jasper came into view. I'd never interacted with him before and I was immediately intimidated. He had a serious look set on his handsome pale face, his blonde eyebrows drawn down over his eyes which kept glancing every which way now and then. I smiled a little timidly at him, feeling nervous.

"Jasper, this is Bella, Jessica, and Angela," Alice introduced us. "Ladies, this is Jasper Hale." Jessica and Angela also waved timidly in greeting. Jasper gave us a curt nod.

All of the sudden, a great wave of calming serenity washed over me. It was a little perplexing since it wasn't at all how I felt a second ago and I could see the same look mirrored across Jessica and Angela's faces, meaning they must have been feeling the alien emotion as well. I then remembered Jasper's peculiar gift—the ability to manipulate the emotional state of those around him. I tried to be a little annoyed at being manipulated in this way, but the calm blanketed all my other emotions like a thick layer of fresh snow and I simply couldn't be bothered.

"Mind if we join you guys for lunch?" Alice chimed with a sweet smile.

"Of course not. The more the merrier," Jessica said with a vacant sort of smile in return, leading the way into the restaurant.

We all ate our lunch calmly and peacefully, except for Alice and Jasper, that is. They merely pushed their pazole and enchiladas around on their plates. I noticed Jasper's expression and posture never changed; he looked tense and alert. He didn't join the in the easy conversation that flowed between the girls and me. _Oh well_ , was all I could muster with the thick coating of peace he placed over my emotional state.

"So, what are the rest of your plans for the day?" Alice asked with interest after insisting on paying the whole table's bill.

"Well, we were going to go do our makeup at Jessica's house and then head over to her mom's salon and get our hair done before the dance," I explained.

"Ooh, that sounds so fun!" Alice exclaimed. "Do you mind if I join you? I'd love to help you with your makeup!"

I exchanged a glance with Jessica and Angela who were still clearly under Jasper's influence.

"Sure, that sounds fine," Jessica replied dreamily.

"Great! Let me run out to the car and grab my things," Alice said and flittered out the door. Jasper silently remained with us inside the entrance of the restaurant. It might have felt awkward if it hadn't been for his abilities. Alice returned a short time later with a pearl pink leather cosmetics case of her own and we all parted ways with Jasper when we piled into Jessica's car and headed back to her house.

"You just so happened to have your makeup case with you?" I whispered skeptically to Alice from where we sat in the back seat.

"It's always a good idea to be prepared, Bella," she replied airily.

"So, what's up? What were you doing at the restaurant?" I asked her quietly. Now that I was free from Jasper's influence, my suspicions began to creep back to me.

"Well, I really wanted to join you guys for the slumber party last night," Alice explained with a pout. "But Edward didn't want me to _oversaturate_ you with my presence too fast." She rolled her eyes which were a golden hue today. "So, when I saw where you guys were going for lunch, I figured I'd bump into you." She smiled at her own cleverness. "I hope you don't mind," she looked at me innocently.

"No, of course not," I replied with a smile.

"See, I knew Edward was wrong," she said smugly, more to herself than to me. I chuckled a little remembering the look he gave Alice at lunch.

We arrived at Jessica's place and Alice set to work on us immediately, pulling out delicate looking bottles of exfoliators, moisturizers, and toners all adorned with French names and writing. We all gazed in amazement at her full arsenal of foundations and powders, blushes, eye shadows, mascaras, and lipsticks. Dooley took a cautious sniff at Alice before yelping and running off to hide and Jessica and Angela winced a little at her cold touch at first. Alice apologized and lied smoothly and quickly that she was a bit anemic and that she had poor circulation in her extremities, throwing a wink in my direction as she did so. Before long, Alice had our skin buffed, smoothed and painted as expertly as any professional makeup artist out there. _Better_ even. We all marveled at her skill in the bathroom mirror while she ardently claimed we looked so great because we were beautiful not because of the makeup. She was so dang sweet.

We crowded back into Jessica's car at a quarter to four and headed down to the Savvy Salon where her mom was waiting for us. She was surprised at the new addition to our little group and greeted Alice with the same warmth and affection she had shown me the night before. Janice offered to have one of her girls do Alice's hair, but she politely declined, explaining her hair was pretty low maintenance, short as it was.

We each had our own stylist do our hair as Janice had booked and paid for our sessions in advance. I offered to pay for my appointment, but Janice wouldn't hear of it—it was her treat. Alice looked through magazines and joined in the conversation from an empty shampoo station. Janice commended Alice oh her exceptional work with our makeup and when she was done with school, she had a job waiting for her there if she wanted it. Jessica and I opted for updo's; Jessica's a sleek French twist, me a low messy bun framed by loose twists and braids. Angela had her brunette hair curled in long loose waves.

Time running short, we gave our heartfelt thanks to Janice and the stylists and rushed back to Jessica's house. When we arrived, Jasper was waiting out front in the Volvo. He still looked on edge. Alice explained he was there to take her home so she could get ready and she gave me another bone-crushing hug before hopping into the silver car and driving away. The three of us scrambled inside and dressed for the dance, pausing to take a few selfies with Jessica's digital camera here and there. We really did look fabulous, I had to admit. I put on my kitten heels and took a few cautious steps around the house while we waited for our dates to arrive. _I don't know about these_ , I inwardly groaned.

At precisely a quarter to six, the doorbell rang prompting us to squeal in excitement over Dooley's barking. We skipped to the door together and threw it open wide. There, silhouetted in the door frame were our three dates, looking handsome and dashing in their standard semiformal garb of a button up shirt, tie, and slacks. Their expressions were identical in their pleasant surprise of _our_ semiformal garb.

Mike's mouth fell open with a, "Wow." My cheeks flushed pink.

"Well, are we ready to go?" Joseph asked, breaking the silence.

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*Actual quote by Bo Derek

Thanks again, everyone, for reading! Please leave a comment and let know what you think! I always appreciate what you have to say. :)


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

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Hey! Welcome to Chapter 13. I just want to give you guys a content warning for some lemony goodness in this chapter. Remember folks, it's rated M for a reason! Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy! :)

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We all decided to take the suburban instead of taking separate cars to the dance. I sat up front with Mike and I worried silently for our safety as it seemed he could not keep his eyes off me and safely on the road. I blushed furiously the whole way to school. The lot was mostly full when we arrived and Mike chose a spot near the entrance. When we parked Mike strode around to the passenger door and opened it, holding out his hand for me to take. I gladly accepted it and he carefully helped me out of the cab.

With his arm securely slid behind my waist, Mike and I headed off toward the gym where the dance was being held with our friends flanking us on both sides. Mike leaned in and nuzzled my neck as we walked, causing a fit of giggles to erupt from my lips.

"You look amazing," he said into my ear in a low, throaty voice. A fluttering in my stomach followed when he placed a whisper of a kiss on the sensitive skin just below my jawline.

The interior of the gym was meagerly decorated with crepe paper streamers and pom-poms. It definitely felt a little anticlimactic and I felt over-dressed, but the atmosphere in the gym was lively. Conversation and laughter could be heard over the music that was pumping out of the free-standing speakers in the corners.

The six of us walked around the gym, greeting our friends and acquaintances, joking and laughing about the decorations and whether or not someone ought to spike the punch to really get the party started. Mike kept a firm grasp on my waist as we carefully made our way around the gym—I kept losing my balance and almost twisting my ankles on my one inch heels, as crazy as it sounds. I silently cursed my friends for talking me into buying the death traps strapped to my feet and myself for allowing myself to be talked into buying them. Nevertheless, with Mike at my side, I thankfully managed to stay upright.

We had made a full rotation around the place and were just about to hit up the refreshments table when we spotted Alice and Edward entering the gym. Alice was dressed in an elegant sequined emerald green cocktail dress that looked as though it had been painted directly onto her petite frame. With a pang of jealousy, I noticed she was sporting a pair of delicate-looking strappy sandals with at least a five inch stiletto heel.

I gave her a wave when I caught her eye and Mike and I began to walk over to her when I noticed Edward. Not only was he dressed casually in a light sweater and jeans, but he also had a stressed and almost angry expression on his face. It was so out of place among the crowd of happy faces and overall good humor that I almost stopped in my tracks. _What could leave Edward looking like that?_

"Hey, guys," I said cheerily when we finally reached them.

Alice beamed at me. "Oh, Bella, you look so lovely in your dress!"

I blushed pink. "Thank you, Alice. You look stunning! What a beautiful dress."

"Oh, this old thing?" Alice laughed airily in her tinkling voice.

"Oh, and thanks again for your help getting ready," I continued, eyeing Edward. He seemed to be looking everywhere but at us.

"She helped you guys get ready?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, she and Jasper had lunch with me and the girls today and then Alice came over and did our makeup." Did I imagine the sharp look Edward gave Alice just then?

"It was so much fun! We should totally do it again soon!" Alice gushed.

"You'll have to teach me a few things. I don't know anything about makeup," I laughed.

"Ooh, goody!" Alice giggled. "Mike you clean up nicely," she said then turning to my date. She gave him an appraising look and gave me a wink. Mike tightened his grip on my waist and gave a low chuckle.

"I wish I could say the same for your date," I led trying to catch Edward's eye. "Hey, you!" I said with a snap of my fingers when he didn't acknowledge me. It seemed to work; he looked my way. "What's with you tonight?" He looked completely on edge.

Edward gave me a stiff smile and a curt nod before leaning over to Alice and whispering something in her ear. Then he walked away—just like that.

"Well, that was rude," I said to Alice, shocked.

"Yeah, what's his problem?" Mike said, annoyed.

Alice looked a little disconcerted, her eyebrows knitted together wrinkling her porcelain forehead. "He, uh, isn't feeling well. Excuse us, Bella—Mike—would you?" She gave me a quick peck on the cheek before flitting gracefully off after Edward. _What was going on?_

"That was weird," I said, turning toward Mike.

"Yeah," he agreed.

"I hope everything is okay," I said, peering around Mike in the direction they left.

"He'll be okay. He's probably just sick with envy that I'm here with the most beautiful girl in the room and he isn't," Mike snickered.

"Oh, please." I playfully swatted at Mike's chest. "Did you see the dress Alice was wearing? She is positively gorgeous tonight."

"Have you seen _yourself_?" Mike retorted, pulling me to him. I settled against his warm body easily—a perfect fit. "She doesn't hold a candle to you," he whispered, leaning in for a kiss.

The music picked up then with a familiar and energetic beat. The whole gymnasium erupted—the song was obviously a crowd favorite and people swarmed to the dance floor. Mike pulled me alongside him onto the dance floor. Laughing and giggling, Mike and I danced with our friends in a large circle to the upbeat song. The party really got started when song after song came on that seemed to be everyone's favorite. We all danced like idiots and had the time of our lives.

Slowly the tone of the dance settled down into a more somber one as more and more slow songs were mingled in the mix of fast paced ones. During one such slow and romantic song, when Mike and I were hugged closely together swaying in unison to the music, Mike began to sing the chorus in low tones in my ear. I had no idea he had such a beautiful singing voice. I was floored. I was so simultaneously impressed and turned on by his baritone crooning that I became putty in his hands. I turned my face toward his and planted a heady kiss on his lips in the middle of the dance floor. Excited and exuberant, my hands claimed the sides of his face and the tip of my tongue trailed the silhouette of his pouty lips. Mike's hands began to rove my body; up and down my spine, around the curve of my hips, and up to the nape of my neck, his tongue meeting mine in an electric embrace.

Someone cleared their throat loudly behind us. We froze. Slowly detaching our limbs from each other, we turned to see Coach Clapp raising an eyebrow at us.

"That's better," he grumbled when we were no longer one mass occupied by two people. I blushed fervently and Mike awkwardly cleared his throat before Coach Clapp walked away to bother some other couples who seemed to be enjoying themselves a little too much. Mike and I looked over at each other and laughed, embarrassed but still too caught up in the heated moment to care. He looked me up and down and bit his lip, trying to restrain himself. He pulled me in for a tight embrace and looked around.

"Hey, let's get out of here," he said under his breath looking back to me, a mischievous grin on his lips. I looked back in to his blue eyes, so much like two deep pools of raging waters, and returned his smile.

"Okay."

Mike grabbed my hand and swiftly led the way toward the exit. We looked over our shoulders and laughed the whole way out to the parking lot to where the suburban was parked. Though there was heavy cloud cover blocking out the moon and stars, the evening was mild and dry. It was quiet out there and, as there were no lamp posts in the student parking lot, it was dark. The pervasive darkness made it feel very private in the wide and open lot.

Mike swung me around the front of him and I settled my back against the suburban. He sidled up to me, his hands cradling my jaw, and he kissed me deep and hard. A whimper escaped my lips as he pressed himself flush against my body and kissed me with reckless abandon. My hands wrapped around his shoulders and his trailed down my body, lightly tracing the perimeter of my breasts, bare beneath the thin fabric of my dress, on their decent to my hips causing every inch of my exposed skin to pucker into goose flesh.

Mike broke our kiss then and pulled out the keys to his car. He unlocked the driver's side door and helped me up into the seat. I slid across to the opposite side of the seat when Mike followed, slamming the door shut behind him. It was even quieter and still in the cab of the suburban, the beating of our hearts and bated breath the only sound. With anticipation burning in my stomach and a slick eager pull from between my legs, I looked over at Mike, his expression hidden in the darkness of the night. He scooted closer to me and his lips met mine in the dark. The privacy of the shadows stripped us of our inhibitions.

Doing my best to appease the pleading in my core, I straddled Mike, my legs spread so that the length of his erection pressed firmly in the heat of my mons. Our breathing heavy and labored, I kissed Mike fully on the lips and slowly ground my hips into his sending a sizzling shot of pleasure deep into my core. An escaped moan of pleasure flooded his mouth from mine as I ground my rose bud harder into his bulge. Mike's hands ran down my back, across my hips, and down to my butt where he took two greedy handfuls. I broke our kiss and began to kiss down his neck and he let out a throaty groan which excited me in a primal sort of way. He groaned again and then gasped when I first flicked my hot tongue over his earlobe and then took it into my eager mouth and suckled on it, grinding against him as I did so.

I ran my hands down his chest and yanked his shirt up and out of his pants when I met his mouth again for another hungry kiss. I slipped my hands beneath his shirt and traced my fingertips across the hot skin of his body. Mike's hands slipped up my spine and he hugged me to him tightly while he kissed down my neck, licking my feverish skin with is tongue.

He flipped me off his lap then and I settled back against the passenger door, my legs spread and bent at the knee on the seat in front of me. Mike crawled between them, his body laying lithely on mine as he kissed me passionately. His hand ran up to my breast and he cupped it gently. A thumb grazed over my hardened nipple, stiff with excitement, and I shivered with pleasure. Mike's hand then trailed down—down past my hips to the hem of my dress. He slipped his fingertips beneath the silky fabric and began to trail them up the length of my inner thigh. He broke our kiss and looked me in the eyes for permission to venture further. There was no question—no denying the pull; the yearning hunger that was screaming from my center.

"Yes," I whimpered and let my eyes slip close as I leaned in for another kiss, his hand coming into contact with the lacy fabric of my underwear, dewy with anticipation.

All of the sudden, there was a great metallic screech and the suburban rocked violently. Startled, we looked up to see the driver's side door completely missing. And then without warning, Mike was being violently pulled from the cab. Panic streaked across his features as he was ripped from the car. He didn't even have time to reach for something to prevent his sudden exit, as fruitless as it would have been. I heard his shout of fear and surprise as he was flung across the parking lot. I didn't see where he landed, but I heard the sickening thud of his body hitting the pavement.

Panic, hot and metallic in the back of my throat, gripped me as I looked at the doorway of the suburban. A man was lurking there, a man who had plucked the car door off its hinges and flung Mike through the air like a rag doll. I realized in that moment that this couldn't possibly be a man, not with that kind of strength, and as I caught sight of his blood red eyes I realized it then; this was no man. He was a vampire.

"Ah, Bella. We meet at last," the stranger said.

Too frightened to scream, I turned in the seat and struggled to open the passenger door with nothing on my mind but escape. But when I looked up, he was at the window giving me a menacing smile. He snicked his tongue and shook his head slowly from side to side.

"Bella, where do you think you are going? We have much to catch up on," he said, his voice condescending. I turned back toward the driver's side, knowing I'd never make it but determined to try nonetheless. The stranger was there again and I yelped when he snatched my wrist and wrenched me from the cab, my shoulder straining and protesting painfully. He tossed me into the car parked nearest to Mike's and I crashed, hard, into it before crumpling onto the ground. Before I could scramble to my feet, the man was there standing over me.

"I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed," he said sounding bored. "This was just too easy. Too quick." I started to kick backwards away from him, my chiffon dress tearing while my hands and heels scraped across the asphalt. My left arm was useless and still throbbing from being wrenched out of the car. I flipped over and had almost gotten to my feet, a curl of nausea in my stomach, when a blow to my right cheek sent me whirling back down to the pavement. My vision blurred and my face went numb and tingly. I think he kicked me.

"What the fuck?" I mumbled incoherently, my right eye swelling. I saw the stranger pacing in front of me. "Who the fuck are you?" I demanded, anger starting to take hold and dominating my fear.

He snicked his tongue at me again. "Such a potty mouth on you, dear," he mocked. "The question is not who the fuck _I_ am, rabbit, but who the fuck _you_ are," he said calmly. "I mean, who the fuck are you that a large coven of vampires would so poorly, yet nevertheless so dutifully protect? When I caught your mouthwatering scent on the mind reader and the fortune teller I simply _had_ to find out just _what_ made a mere mortal like you so special. What witchy powers did you possess to elicit such a strong territorial reaction from the mind reader? Why do they want to protect cattle like you?" he sneered derisively. "And that Edward, that _mind reader_ , feels so strongly about you. It was what made the hunt all that much more enjoyable—knowing I'd be killing his precious snack cake. What I find the most hilarious is that you don't even share his affections. Here I find you in the arms of another piece of meat," he laughed heartily, the sound mean and spiteful. "It almost takes the fun out of what I am about to do," he snarled, leaning into a distinctly feline-like crouch.

My heart beat quickened and I tried to get back up again as I realized he was about to attack. The man quickly stepped forward and brought a boot down on my leg, hard. I heard the bones in my calf snap before I felt it and I let out a scream of pain when I did. I twisted up to reach for my leg and he was standing over me smiling. Before I lost consciousness in a cloud of fear and pain, I saw the man's eyes divert from mine and focus on something off to the left. _People drawn by my scream, no doubt_ , I found myself thinking as I slowly drifted into the darkness.

...

In my dream there was nothing but inky blackness and pain… and shouting… and scuffling… and the sounding of screeching metal. It was not a nice dream—it was too loud and too painful. And then, like an annoying alarm clock, someone kept repeating my name over and over. _Didn't he know I was trying to sleep?_ I though grumpily. I moaned and swatted at the alarm clock sound hoping to find the snooze button. _Just five more minutes_.

A hand caught mine; a cold, hard hand.

"Bella? Bella, can you hear me?" said a familiar, musical voice.

I fluttered my eyes open and tried to focus on the face of the person kneeling beside me. It was hard to see as it was blindingly bright in the small room I was in and the fact that my right eye seemed to be swollen shut. There was another person on my other side, working fastidiously on something just out of sight. I blinked again and a person in a blue uniform I'd never seen before came into view. The patch on his chest read, "Bill—EMT." _Oh, so I'm in an ambulance_ , I deduced, looking around at what I had thought was a small room. Bill the EMT was strapping a splint to my bruised and broken leg. My stomach started to churn and my heart began to accelerate. I looked back over to Edward.

"Wha—"I sputtered.

"Shh, Bella. It's okay, you're okay, now." He soothed in a low tone. "Just relax. It's okay."

I remembered the strange man who lurked in the doorway of the suburban, the one who had broken my leg and I started to panic again, sending my heart rate flying. I remembered him yanking Mike from the cab and flinging him across the parking lot.

"Mike!" I shouted then. "Edward, what about Mike!?" I clutched at Edward, grasping his sweater and balling the soft fabric into a tight fist.

"Mike's okay, Bella. Shh." He placed a cool hand on my forehead. "He's in the other ambulance."

"But—" I started to protest.

"Shh, Bella. Just rest now," he said more firmly, less soothing now and more authoritative, giving a furtive glance Bill's way. I understood. We shouldn't discuss anything in front of the EMT.

I stayed quiet and spent the rest of the ride over to the hospital worried sick about Mike, scared shitless over the mysterious vampire who had tried to kill me, and painful in my throbbing leg, shoulder, and face. On top of all those things, I wondered wildly what on Earth we were going to say happened. How would we explain Mike and my injuries? How much did Mike remember? Where did that psychopath go? And just who the _fuck_ was that guy?

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Ha ha! Bet you guys didn't see that coming, did you? You know, I was honestly surprised that you guys didn't get what was going on with Jasper in the last chapter (if you're still confused, stay tuned for the next chapter!). I thought I had given it away when I said there was a discrepancy in the time line of my story and the book's (the thunderstorm that attracted James' coven to the Cullens playing baseball happens on a Sunday night in the book vs. Friday night in my story). But whatevs, I'm glad I was able to surprise you instead (you were surprised, weren't you?). Anyway, thanks again for reading everyone! Let me know what you think, you know how much I love to hear from you guys. Thanks! :)


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

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Hey guys! I'm so sorry for the long, long break in updates! A lot has been going on in my life over the past few months- both good and bad. My husband and I found out after 7 months of trying that we are expecting! Shortly after that I got hit with a terrible flu. Then I got tied up making two different sets of wedding invitations for two cousins which took a while. And then my grandpa died... It's been a crazy last few months.

I had been trying to write this chapter throughout the whole sabbatical, but for some reason I wasn't really feeling this chapter... but I powered through it and finished it for you guys. I reread the whole story today and I fell in love with it all over again. I hope I can get back into it full throttle and give you guys some more regular updates.

Thanks for sticking with me! Enjoy!

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I sat up in my hospital bed anxiously awaiting Edward's return. He had excused himself over an hour ago when my attending physician began to place my cast. My tibia, fibula and eye socket were broken and my shoulder had been dislocated. Mike was going to be okay. Edward relayed that Mike had broken his collar bone and he had a concussion. He was conscious but said he didn't remember anything about the accident.

The accident, Edward told me, was "officially" a hit and run; an errant car T-boned Mike's before driving away. I was to tell anyone who asked, Edward instructed, that it was too dark and that it happened too fast to see anything.

Charlie had just left. He looked worse than I felt, which was pretty fucking terrible. His eyes were blood shot and his dark five o'clock shadow stood out in stark contrast to his too pale face. He asked me a bunch of exhausting questions about the accident, saying he had taken on this case personally and would make sure whoever did this landed their sorry ass in jail. I felt incredibly guilty having to answer every question with a lie. Charlie was too good a person—he didn't deserve lies. When he finished his questioning he told me Renee was on her way from Florida where she and Phil had been living. Despite the circumstances, I was elated she was coming. I missed her so much.

Edward promised he'd fill me in on what the hell happened tonight just as soon as he could ensure we wouldn't be interrupted or overheard. And so there I sat waiting as patiently as humanly possible in my hospital bed for Edward's return. I ran over the events of the night in my head trying to make sense of them. Why did that vampire want to kill _me?_ What had he said? He wanted to murder me because Edward _liked_ me? What kind of fucked up reason is that to _kill_ somebody? Did Edward know that guy?

Just then a soft knock on my door broke me out of my reverie. I looked over to the door to see Edward poke his head into the room.

"Bella? Are you still awake?" He said in a low, hesitant voice.

"Yeah, I'm awake. Come in," I replied, sitting up a little straighter and wincing when I moved my broken leg. I then groaned at the pain that wincing elicited from my bruised and broken eye socket. Edward zipped to my side, concern marring his perfect features.

"What is it? Are you in pain? Do you want me to call the nurse?" he peppered me.

"I'm okay," I waved him off. "Just still sore."

"Did they give you enough pain meds? I'll call the nurse for you," he hovered again.

"No, really, I'm okay. They've given me enough pain killers to kill a horse. I'll be alright."

"How are you still awake? It's well past midnight," he asked skeptically with a raised eyebrow. I chuckled a little—it didn't hurt, thank goodness.

"I've been waiting for you. I'm dying to know what really happened tonight. Who was that guy?"

Edward took a deep sigh and sat in the chair nearest the bed. "James," he snarled with such malice that my skin immediately broke out in goosebumps. "The most loathsome vampire I have ever, in all my 80 years, had the misfortune to meet. My family and I were in a favorite clearing of ours in the forest north of town last night. With the oncoming thunderstorm, it was the perfect opportunity for us to play a friendly game of baseball."

"Baseball?" I sputtered with a raised eyebrow. I had a hard time imagining vampires playing the favorite American pastime.

Edward gave me a smirk. " _What?_ " he demanded.

"I just can't picture it, is all," I replied with a laugh.

"Perhaps I'll invite you along next time so you can," he said with a sideways grin. His smile faltered however as he continued. "Then Alice saw the coming of a trio of new vampires heading our way. They were supposed to pass by the town on their way south, but were attracted by the sounds of our game and had decided to investigate. We met them easily enough—two men, one woman—nomads. They were surprised and curious about the size of our family—our coven—and Carlisle had invited them to the house when James caught your scent on Alice and me. I saw into his mind: he was a tracker and he made a decision right then and there that he wanted to track you down and drink your blood. He was obsessed in that second and he would have his hunt… and his prize. We split up as soon as we began to head back to the house. Jasper and Alice went to your house to protect Charlie. Emmet and I went to Jessica's where you were staying. The night was long and tense, but as far as we knew, he didn't make any attempt at you or Charlie."

My eyes were wide with horror as I listened. While I was having the time of my life last night at the slumber party, I was being stalked by a maniacal vampire. A violent shiver tore through my body making me wince. Edward started to get up but I waved him off again.

"Go on," I said shakily. "What happened next?"

"Well," Edward continued, settling back down into his chair. "We didn't want you to be alone for one second. When you and your friends went to lunch, Alice and Jasper accompanied you while Emmet followed Charlie to work. I did my best to track James and Victoria down, but it proved difficult. I think Victoria has an ability that makes it difficult to corner her—she always finds a way to evade capture. I wasn't able to pinpoint their location until the dance had started. We discovered a trail that ran by the school, which is why Alice and I came to the dance—to keep an eye on you. But shortly after we arrived I was finally able to lock onto Victoria's thoughts and Alice and I went to capture her." Edward stopped short and settled his face in his hands with a heavy sign. "We should have known it was a ruse. I'm such an idiot!" he growled. I stared unblinking at him in silence. "I swear as long as I exist, I'll never forgive myself for what that monster did to you," he mumbled to himself. The pain in his voice wrenched my heart.

"It's not your fault," I murmered, fighting my instinct to get up and put my arm around his still shoulders. He looked up then, his pain showing clearly in his eyes.

"I'm just glad we caught our mistake in time to save your life." Edward's expression grew hard. "I'm also glad I was the one who got to end that bastard's life," he hissed with malice. I waited in silence for him to continue, watching his expression closely. He seemed to be replaying the scene in his mind with much relish. Edward slowly came back to reality. "Anyway, Victoria escaped after I… after James died. Carlisle looked after you and Mike while Emmet and Jasper cleaned up the scene, fabricating a hit and run to make it fit our story before calling 911."

I took his explanation in, letting the gravity of the situation settle deep inside my brain, filling every nook and cranny. I could have died tonight. I could be dead. Mike too. Edward and his family saved our lives. Again. I read his face from the bed where I lay bruised and broken. Even though I knew he never slept, he looked tired—like 80 years of sleepless nights were finally catching up to him. Our eyes met then and he tried to hold my gaze, but the intensity of his stare made me look away, embarrassed all of the sudden. My face flushed hot.

"I don't know how to express my gratitude," I whispered. "You've saved my life again. Thank you." I looked up into his eyes again. "Thank you," I said again with earnest.

It was Edward who looked away this time with a heavy sigh. "Bella," he groaned in a tortured voice. "Don't you see? Your life would never have been in any danger if I didn't exist—if I had lived a normal, mortal life."

 _Not this again_ , I groaned internally.

"Are you kidding? I'm only alive today _because_ you are what you are. Who else could have stopped Tyler's van from hitting me? My number was up that day. You saved my life then and you saved my life again. I can never express how grateful I am that you, Edward Cullen, exist," I replied defiantly, my arms folded against my chest.

With another sigh, Edward settled resolutely back in his chair. "I suppose you're right," he said with resolve.

Just then, the door burst open and a frantic looking Alice came flying into the room with Jasper and Carlisle in tow.

"Oh, Bella!" she exclaimed in a distraught voice. "I'm so, so sorry!" she exclaimed when she reached my bedside.

"Alice," was all I could manage before she appeared on the bed beside me with her arms flung around my shoulders in a tight hug.

"It's all my fault," she moaned into my shoulder. "I didn't see… I should have seen!"

I patted her on the shoulder awkwardly. "What do you mean?" I asked bewildered.

"The baseball game!" She shrieked, sitting up and clasping my hands in hers. "The game! If I hadn't suggested we play baseball, none of this would have happened and look at you! Look at poor Mike! It's all my fault and I'm so sorry, Bella. So, so sorry!" she bawled, embracing me again.

I looked around for help from the others. They looked uncomfortable. Jasper seemed very tense at the close contact between Alice and me.

"Alice, it's alright. I'm okay—a little worse for wear, but I'm alive. Don't beat yourself up over it." I stroked her hair soothingly as I tried to calm down the vampire attached to my torso. "These things happen." The words sounded absurd to me, but they seemed to settle Alice down some. She sat up, a pout still set firmly on her face.

"So you forgive me then?" she asked in a small voice.

"There's nothing to forgive. Really," I replied emphatically. Her face brightened a fraction.

"Okay," she sniffed, calming down.

"Come on Alice, we should let Bella get some sleep," Jasper said in a low tone at her side. He took her hand and helped her off the bed like a gentleman. Their interaction with each other made me smile. The love between them was very evident.

Carlisle approached my bedside once Jasper and Alice had slipped quietly out the door. "How are you feeling, Bella?" he asked he asked in a concerned voice. "What's your pain level? Would you like something to help you sleep?"

"Oh, I'm doing alright, just a little discomfort." I replied looking from him to where Edward remained seated, blushing a little while Carlisle looked over my chart.

"I'm going to have the nurse come in and bring you a little sedative. You really ought to get some sleep," Carlisle replied.

"Okay. I do feel a little wired, I guess," I admitted. I looked back up at Carlisle. "Edward told me what you did for Mike and me. Thank you," I said earnestly. I couldn't thank this family of vampires enough for saving me over and over again.

"Think nothing of it, Bella. We'll let you get some rest now," Carlisle replied with care, giving Edward a meaningful look. Edward rose from his chair. I sighed, settling back against the pillows as best I could.

"Thank you again," I said to Edward trying my best to convey my sincerity in my eyes.

"My pleasure," Edward said with a hard edge in his voice, returning my gaze. With the slightest hesitation, Edward bent down over me and placed a light and cool kiss on my forehead before turning and swiftly leaving the room.

Wide-eyed I watched the door quietly click shut behind his retreating figure. _How on Earth am I supposed to get any sleep now?_ I wondered wildly as I replayed the icy peck to the forehead in my head. _Where's that damn nurse?_ I thought agitatedly.

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Thanks again for reading and I do apologize for the long wait for this chapter! I hope I can be more punctual with the chapters in the future. I'd really love to hear your feedback. You know how much I enjoy it. :) Thanks!


	15. Chapter 15

Hey you guys! Long time no see! I'm so unbelievably sorry for the two year break! Did you know that when you have a kid all your leisure time goes out the window? Yeah… If it's any consolation, you guys have always been in my thoughts. I have been trying to finish this stupid chapter for forever, but I got stuck for some reason and I could not freaking write it! It was half finished for, well, two years. Then after rereading my story for the first time in a while, I was inspired to just hash it out and get it done and I did! This stupid chapter is finally done! Praise the Lord. Anyway, I can't promise the next chapter will be written in a reasonable amount of time, but just know I _will_ finish this story, I'm not going to leave you guys hanging. :)

I hope you enjoy this labor of love. Let me know what you think! I miss you guys! :)

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I awoke the next day to hushed, mingled murmurs. I had to blink the sleep from my eyes a few times before the room came into focus. The sedatives they gave me worked well—too well. I focused on the digital clock on the nightstand. It was one in the afternoon. _Geez_.

I started to sit up and my head throbbed painfully.

"Bella?" a soft, warm and very familiar voice called from across the room. I looked up to see a nurse closing the door behind her as she left and my mother crossing the room with a relieved expression on her concerned face.

"Mom!" I exclaimed, a wide smile spreading across my face. It hurt my swollen eye, but there was no fighting the elation I felt at the sight of my mother since I exiled myself to gray, drizzly Forks. Even being beaten and broken by a deranged vampire wasn't enough to dampen just how great it was to see this woman.

She bent down to hug me gently and I felt warm tears falling down my cheeks.

"Bella, I was so afraid," she whimpered.

"I'm sorry, Mom. But everything is fine now. It's okay," I comforted her. I let my body settle into her arms with a sigh. "It's so good to see you," I said and she pulled away to settle down in the chair by the bed.

"I know. I wish it were under better circumstances," she lamented, her eyes hovering over my bruised face, her eyebrows knitted with concern.

"Where's Phil?" I asked, looking toward the door.

"Oh, Bella, sweetie, he couldn't come. I'm so sorry."

"That's okay."

"Oh, Bella! You'll never guess! Just when we were about to leave, the best news!" Renée's eyes lit up.

"Phil got signed?" I guessed.

"Yes! How'd you guess! The Suns, can you believe it?"

"That's great, Mom," I said as enthusiastically as I could manage.

"And you'll like Jacksonville so much," she gushed while I stared at her vacantly. "I was a little worried when Phil started talking about Akron, what with the snow and everything because you know how I hate the cold, but now Jacksonville! It's always sunny and the humidity really isn't _that_ bad. We found the cutest little house, yellow with white trim and a porch just like in an old movie and this huge old oak tree. And it's just a few minutes from the beach and you'll have your own bathroom—" she rambled.

"Wait, what?" I interrupted. "I'm not going to Florida. I live here," I protested.

"But you don't have to anymore, silly," she laughed. "Phil will be around a lot more and we talked about it and what I'll do is trade off on the away games—half my time with you and half with him."

"But Mom, that's why I came here in the first place, so you wouldn't _have_ to do that," I argued. She drew a breath to protest. "Plus," I cut her off, "I'm already settled in at school here, I have friends and I'm really enjoying my time with Dad."

"But you hate it in Forks," she said, dismayed.

"I know…" I sighed. "But I didn't realize how much I missed Dad and how much he missed me all these years. It's hard being away from you, but I think in the long run it's better that I'm here with him now."

Renée's eyebrows knitted together with sympathy and maybe a little guilt. I suspected she always felt a little like the world's biggest bitch for stealing me away from my father when I was such a young age, but when I began to show the same contempt for Forks that she had felt, her guilt was assuaged a little. But now I was growing up and it meant I needed to begin to think of others' needs beyond my own and I think she was seeing that now. She sighed, defeated.

"I suppose you're right. It wasn't fair of me to deprive you of your father for so long… or him of you for that matter. It just makes me so antsy when you keep getting into all these accidents! This is twice now you've been in the hospital since you came here," she scowled. "I worry about you, sweetie. You're such a magnet for trouble."

I couldn't disagree with her there. Not only was I a grade A klutz, but I seemed to have stumbled upon the secret world of vampires. Yep, only a magnet for trouble could do that. I didn't know what to say so I simply bobbed my head up and down in agreement with her.

Renée let out a sigh as though resolving herself on the matter.

"So tell me about the dance," she piped as though remembering the momentous occasion that sparked all this disaster in the first place. "Your first dance!" she gushed, dreamily batting her eyelashes at me. "I wish I could have been there to see you in your dress! Of course Charlie probably hadn't thought to take a picture; I'll have to talk to him about that. Did you have fun? Were your friends there? How was Mike? Did he open doors for you and slow dance?" She babbled.

I smiled and relaxed, taking in her questions and remembering back to when the previous evening had begun. I really was having fun before all the shit hit the fan. We launched into a detailed discussion of the dress, the dance and Mike. We talked a little about the accident, not too much, thankfully as most of the facts were lies and because her face began to go pale at the thought of me in a wreck. Our conversation drifted to my life in Forks and hers in Jacksonville since we'd been apart. Her voice was soothing and I hated how much I missed her presence, her scent, and the sound of her laugh. It would be really hard to see her go.

Time had slipped away from us as we caught up and when Renée glanced at her watch she jumped in shock.

"Oh geez, is that the time? I was supposed to call Phil almost an hour ago!" she was halfway out of her chair when she paused and looked back at me with a pained expression on her face. "Oh, I should stay with you. You've been through so much." She lowered back down into her seat and patted my hand soothingly.

"No, go ahead, Mom. I'll be alright. I'm on plenty of pain killers," I chuckled. "Go call Phil."

Renée looked torn and she bit her lip. "I won't be long," She said finally before bending over me and planting a kiss on my forehead. "I love you, kiddo," she said softly.

"I love you too, Mom," I replied as she squeezed my hand and turned to head out the door.

A lonely sort of silence settle around me as the door snicked shut behind her. I wished I hadn't sent her away so easily when I realized I didn't have anything to do in my hospital bed but sit and think. No book to read, no TV remote that I could see for the small TV in the upper corner of the room, and me all alone. I wasn't even tired enough to go back to sleep. I sighed and settled into my pillows, hoping Renée would be back soon. _Great_.

I let my mind wander over the last 24 hours. It had been quite eventful, vampire attack aside. I couldn't believe I actually had fun at a dance. _Me_ : the uncoordinated wonder of the world. It had been a lot of fun up until the attack. The attack that had interrupted a pretty good time in Mike's Suburban. I felt my cheeks flush as my eyes clouded over with visions of hot, fervent kisses in the dark. The steady, even tempo of the heart rate monitor began to increase to a slow gallop as I day dreamed lustfully of what had happened and what _might_ have happened had that crazed maniac not broken up our private party in the front seat.

Just my luck, it was about the time when the beeping of my heart rate monitor had reached a frenzy when who else but Mike himself gave a small knock and popped his head through the doorway of my room.

"Bella? You awake?" he asked.

I blushed and smiled sheepishly. I felt like I had just been walked in on doing something indecent.

"Hey, Mike," I called to him, readjusting myself on the bed as best I could. His face was all set to greet me cheerily when he had first popped his head in, but as he stepped through the door and got a proper look at my bruised and broken appearance his smile fell right off his face.

"Oh my God," was all he could manage as he slowly made his way over to where I lay on the bed his eyes surveying the damage. He was dressed in gray sweat pants, a navy t-shirt, black slippers, and had his left arm in a sling.

 _Geez, I must look terrible_. I couldn't decide if that made me want to look in a mirror or avoid one.

"That bad, huh?" I asked with a small, encouraging smile. Mike looked grave.

"This is so fucked up," he said in a hushed tone and I let out a rueful laugh.

"You got that right, it's pretty fucked up," I sighed. It's a good thing poor Mike didn't know just _how_ fucked up it all was. Mike clasped my hand with his free one. "How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Not that bad. I mean, compared to how you must feel. God, Bella," his eyebrows were knitted with concern.

"Okay, okay, I look terrible. I get it!" I blushed, cupping my cheeks tenderly with my hands.

"I'm sorry," Mike apologized and sighed. "You just have the worst fucking luck." He plopped down in the chair by the bed.

"Don't I know it," I replied. "It's just too bad it had to ruin such a fun night." Mike half shrugged. "Do you remember much of it?"

"Not really. The doctors said my concussion caused some memory loss. I don't remember much of the dance or the accident," he replied, rubbing his forehead.

"That's too bad. I remember we were having a lot of fun. In the dance and then out in your car…" I trailed off with a wistful sigh and eyed Mike furtively.

"I can't remember why we were in the car. The dance wasn't over, was it?" I smiled in response. It was too bad he was concussed.

"No. We went out there for a little privacy," I whispered conspiratorially and raised an eyebrow. Mike smiled.

"Yeah? Tell me I was smart enough to try a move." He leaned forward in his seat.

"Maybe." I smiled back. "Maybe when we heal up some, we can retrace our steps—try to jog your memory." We both chuckled as our cheeks grew pink.

Just then, another knock interrupted us and Renée opened the door.

"Hey, sweetie, look who I found!" She said cheerily as she entered the room. Renée was followed by a frazzled looking Charlie and two folks who turned out to be Mike's parents, Tom and Karen Newton. The two newcomers cooed pityingly over my injuries and commiserated with my parents over the accident. They shared their shock over a hit and run in their small community which was followed by Charlie's proclamation to capture the perpetrator. Renée was glad to have a chance to meet Mike and his parents, despite the awful circumstance. They all made promises to meet again under decidedly better ones.

Mike was able to visit a few more times before being discharged and I went home a few days after that.

The accident had the town abuzz with gossip and anticipation at the capture of the maniac that crumpled Mike's poor Suburban and injured two high school sweethearts, one of which was the Chief of Police's only daughter. However, days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months and before long, it was the end of May and no one had been apprehended. With the lack of eyewitnesses and physical evidence, people quickly gave up on the idea that anyone would be caught. Soon, the whole incident was forgotten, which wasn't unusual in a small town when hot gossip begins to cool.

It turned out that a broken leg is a lot less fabulous that it sounds, which isn't very much at all. Sure, it got me out of gym for the rest of the school year, but the pain and itchiness of broken bones and a heavy plaster cast combined with my colossal clumsiness made for a miserable four months. Getting up to my room was a near impossibility with nothing to speak of coming _down_ the stairs. I was lucky that Renée stayed a few weeks after I got home from the hospital to help me get around and get used to the cast. Boy, were those an awkward couple of weeks—and they had nothing to do with my hobbling around. Charlie and Renée under the same roof for the first time in over a decade was a terribly uncomfortable sight to bear. The atmosphere was so bad what with the stress of their only daughter's injury and the fact that Charlie never quite got over Renée leaving him, I both dreaded and couldn't wait for my mother's departure.

Prom was kind of a bust. I went with Mike and our group of friends, Edward and Alice included, but it just wasn't as fun as it would have been without that damn cast. No going out shopping with the girls or dancing badly on the dance floor. Alice treated me like a life sized doll and dressed me and did my hair and makeup, but it just wasn't as fun as the previous dance. I sat on the sidelines watching everyone else have fun. I felt bad that Mike was forced to abstain from the festivities—him being a good date and all, he stuck by my side the whole night. I promised myself that we would have a much better time at senior prom.

When summer vacation started, Mike, Jessica, Angela, Edward, Alice and I started hanging out pretty regularly. Angela started dating Ben Cheney and he fit easily into our group. We went to movies, out to eat, on short road trips, and by summer's end, we had all become good friends.

I officially met Edward's family one afternoon when Edward invited me over to his home. The house was unbelievably amazing. A career as a talented doctor and a daughter with a knack for foreseeing stock market trends landed the Cullens in the lap of luxury. The house was nestled in the middle of a forest on the edge of town, was a modern design and was exquisitely furnished. I was extremely nervous at first and felt like I was not so figuratively walking into the lion's den. But Esme was very warm and inviting and immediately put me at ease. Rosalie was pretty distant, but Emmett had me in stitches before long with a plethora of jokes and his easy going attitude. Carlisle explained the family's history and I listened in awe about his former life as a pastor's son what seemed like a million years ago and his transformation into a vampire. He spoke about his travels and the other vampires he met, about finding Edward sick and dying in a hospital during an influenza epidemic and his decision to turn him. He spoke of the others in the family and when they had come to be vampires. It was fascinating to hear this epic tale—so hard to believe, yet the result standing before me. I couldn't help but be marveled.

Edward finally got around to showing me what he meant when he said his kind could not go out in the daylight where any human could see. When he stepped into the sunlight on that sunny afternoon it was as though every inch of his skin was covered in diamonds. That dude sparkled like the fucking sun. It was amazing.

The closer I got to Edward, the harder it seemed to deny that I had feelings for him. The rational part of my brain told me to stop being so absurd—Edward was a freaking vampire for Pete's sake. There was no way in hell a human and a vampire tryst would _ever_ be a good idea. I also had very real, very strong feelings for Mike. I didn't want to hurt him; I wanted nothing but happiness for us. The _irrational_ side of my brain, on the other hand, took in Edward's mouthwatering appearance, melodious voice, and winning personality and pined… just a little. Mostly, I did my best just to ignore my feelings for Edward and focus on just being his friend and I did pretty well. The trouble came at night, in my dreams when Edward was the all too frequent star of erotic dreams in which I ravaged his cold, hard, beautiful body. Every time I would start to feel like I had a handle on the situation, my traitor brain would dream up new sexy times with a vampire—that is, the nights I didn't spend having horrific nightmares about a maniacal James hunting and killing me or my family and friends. The sum total of my nights was that I either awoke hot and bothered or completely panicked.

My cast came off July third. Mike's parents invited Charlie and me out on their boat on the Fourth of July for a day of sailing and to watch the fireworks just off the shoreline. It was a blast—my leg was free of its plaster prison, the weather was decent and the ocean air was fabulous.

Another benefit to getting my cast off was the mobility it allowed me especially when it came to finally recreating Mike and my alone time in the front seat of his car before the attack. On a rainy Saturday afternoon shortly after Mike's birthday, when Charlie happened to be out fishing, Mike and I found ourselves in my bedroom quite unchaperoned. A kiss led to a steamy make out session which led to the nervous fumbling of buttons and shedding of a few garments. I had never been kissed or touched that way before. _I_ had never kissed or touched anyone the way I did before nor had I ever seen _quite_ so much of the male anatomy. We passed a couple of bases for the first time on that humid day in July. I don't think I stopped blushing for a good week.

Renée and Phil invited me out to their new house in Jacksonville at the end of July. I spent a week bathing in the sun and catching up with Phil and my mother. We celebrated his signing with a fancy dinner out and Renée let me try some champagne. We went to Disney World together and had a blast. It was incredibly difficult to go back to Forks. Renée made a compelling argument for me to stay what with all the sunshine and theme parks. But in the end, I returned back to drizzly Forks at the start of August.

When I returned, Janice Stanley offered me a job as a part-time receptionist at her salon. Jessica, who also was a receptionist part-time, Janice and I began to spend a lot of time together and I really started to think of Janice as my other mother. She was young, down to earth, and always had a joke or quirky remark on her lips. She readily gave compliments and was incredibly generous. On more than one occasion I caught myself conspiring to get her and Charlie together. I could really see them together—see her making him happy. If they were to get married ( _okay, okay, a leap, I know_ ), I would finally have a sister. I admit that having a sibling isn't something I ever thought I wanted, but I really liked Jessica and the idea of having her as a sister—having girls night every night—sounded really great.

All in all, it was one of the best summers of my life, let alone a summer spent in Forks. It was a summer of friendship, laughter, and romance.

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Thanks for reading my latest chapter! I appreciate you guys sticking with me after such a long break. Stick around for the next installment of A Bad First Impression… but, you know, don't hold your breath or anything for a timely update. Lol. But I can promise it won't be a two year wait! :) Thanks again!


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